Poroshenko way ahead of rivals in Ukrainian presidential race

Kyiv, May 20 (Interfax) – About 34% of Ukrainians are ready to back the candidacy of billionaire Petro Poroshenko at the upcoming presidential election on May 25, whereas the ratings of his closest rivals, Yulia Tymoshenko and Sergiy Tigipko, are much lower, at 6.5% and 5.8%, respectively, according to the findings of a survey conducted on May 8-13 and presented by sociologists from SOCIS, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology and Rating at the Interfax news agency's office in Kyiv on Tuesday.

About 23% of voters do not know who to vote for; nearly 12% said they will not go to the polls, according to the findings.

The top five is rounded out by Oleh Liashko and Anatoliy Hrytsenko, who are favored by 4.1% and 4% voters, respectively.

Following the top five are Mykhailo Dobkin (3.5%), Petro Symonenko (2.2%), Olha Bohomolets (1.9%), Oleh Tiahnybok (1.3%) and Dmytro Yarosh (0.6%), the poll found.

Fifty-three point two percent of those who intend to go to the polls and made up their mind, favor Poroshenko, this figure was 48.4% in an April survey, according to the poll findings. He is followed by Tymoshenko who saw her ratings among those who made up their mind fall from 14% in April to 10.1%.

The three other candidates in the top five have improved their ratings in the past month: Tigipko from 7.4% to 8.8%, Liashko from 4.6% to 6.3% and Hrytsenko from 5% to 6.2%.

The rest in the top ten saw their ratings drop since April: in particular, Dobkin from 6% down to 4.9%, and Symonenko from 5.6% down to 3.1%.

The survey, conducted by the personal interview method, polled 6,200 respondents aged 18 and above in all Ukrainian regions (except Crimea). The margin of error was 0.8%.