Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko Says He Will Seek Reelection In March
By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced he will seek reelection in a March 31 vote, and vowed to press for European Union and NATO membership.
Speaking to thousands of supporters on January 29, the confectionery magnate said that a "feeling of deep responsibility before the country and...before past and future generations" led him to decide to run for a second five-year term.
Poroshenko came to power in the aftermath of the pro-European Maidan protests that pushed Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych out in February 2014.
He has vocally advocated closer integration with the West and criticized Russia in the wake of Moscow's seizure of Crimea and amid a continuing war against Russia-backed separatists in the eastern region known as the Donbas.
"We will submit a bid to join the European Union in 2024," Poroshenko said, adding that Ukraine would also take further steps to join NATO if he was reelected.
Poroshenko's popularity rating is low but polls suggest he and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who announced her presidential bid on January 22, are the likely front-runners.