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At just over 65 percent, voter turnout was nearly 5 percent lower in September 2007 than it was in March 2006

, according to the Central Election Commission. But voter turnout fell by nearly 1.8 million in comparison with elections held a year-and-a-half ago: At just over 65 percent, voter turnout was nearly 5 percent lower in September 2007 than it was in March 2006.

At the same time, a greater share of votes cast will “count” when it comes to the allocation of seats in parliament. In 2006, five forces that crossed the 3 percent threshold were supported by a combined 77 percent (more than 19 million) of voters. The remaining votes were cast for 40 other parties and blocs and against all of them.

Eighteen months later, the five parties and blocs that crossed the 3 percent threshold were supported by a combined 88 percent (more than 20 million) voters.


Against all up

The share of votes cast “against all” parties and blocs grew from 1.8 percent last year to 2.7 in these elections. After the vote, election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe urged Ukraine to do away with the “against all” option altogether, arguing that it doesn’t express a distinct choice and affects the allocation of seats.


Seven million club

The Party of Regions of current Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc were both supported by more than 7 million voters. Both claimed victory but neither secured more than 50 percent of the vote to be able to form a single party majority in the next parliament.

Tymoshenko’s Byut gained most in these elections – about a million-and-a-half votes and nearly 30 more seats in the next parliament.

The Regions scored slightly higher than they did in 2006.

But because more votes “count” toward the allocation of seats in the new Rada, the self-dubbed million-person party will see its share shrink by more than 10 seats.


Silver and bronze shares

Support for the pro-presidential Our Ukraine-Peoples Self-Defense 9 (OUPSD) grouping fell slightly at the ballot box from the more than 3.5 million votes in March 2006. OUPSD was supported by more than 3.2 million. OUPSD will also lose around 10 seats in the next parliament, but is poised to have enough seats to form a slim majority coalition (about 230 seats) with Tymoshenko’s Byut in the 450-seat chamber.

With more than 1.2 million and 900,000 votes respectively, the Communists and former Rada speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn’s bloc are unlikely to have enough seats in the next Rada to make or break a coalition. With less than 30 seats each, the CPU and Lytyvn Bloc will be in a position to strengthen a potential coalition; the possible addition of Lytvyn’s force to a Byut-led coalition was not discounted by Tymoshenko.

“A coalition with the Party of Regions and Communists can be absolutely ruled out,” she said at an Oct. 2 briefing.

“Talk about creating the coalition will be possible when the [Central Election Commission] announces results. A one-to-two-day pause is necessary to understand the structure of parliament,” she said.

According to law, the CEC has until mid-October to announce official final electoral results.