Presidential candidates will be numbered in the ballot papers for voting at the presidential elections on Jan. 17, 2010, according to a decision of the Central Elections Commission taken on Dec. 15.
The CEC approved the form and text of the ballot paper for the elections on Jan. 17.
At the same time, there was a debate over whether numbers in the ballot paper should be placed beside the names of candidates.
Commission Deputy Chairwoman Zhanna Usenko-Chorna stressed that according to the law on the presidential elections, candidates must be placed on the paper ballot in alphabetical order. She also said that the law foresees their numeration in the ballot.
Oleksandr Chupakhin, a CEC member, also proposed to put numbers beside the names of candidates in the paper ballot.
The CEC members appointed under the quota of the Regions Party supported Chupakhin, while members appointed under the BYT’s quota were against.
In particular, CEC member Ihor Zhydenko said that this proposal is "a technology for agitation against some candidates" that will be built on prejudice in relation to some numbers.
Finally, nine CEC members voted for the numbering of the candidates in the paper ballot, three voted against it, and two abstained.
Usenko-Chorna said that this decision could threaten the production of ballots. She reminded that according to the law, paper ballots must be produced by January 10.
According to the Central Election Commission, the presidential candidates in the election ballot will be placed in the following order: 1 – Inna Bohoslovska; 2 – Mykhailo Brodsky; 3 – Anatoliy Hrytsenko; 4 – Yuriy Kostenko; 5 – Volodymyr Lytvyn; 6 – Oleksandr Moroz; 7 – Oleksandr Pabat; 8 – Vasyl Protyvsikh; 9 – Serhiy Ratushniak; 10 – Oleh Riabokon; 11 – Petro Symonenko; 12 – Liudmyla Suprun; 13 – Yulia Tymoshenko; 14 – Sergey Tigipko; 15 – Oleh Tiahnybok; 16 – Victor Yushchenko; 17 – Victor Yanukovych; and 18 – Arseniy Yatseniuk.
