The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted in the first reading and as a whole the law on elections of the President of Ukraine. 400 deputies voted for the corresponding decision at the evening session on Thursday. \n \nBefore that, the speaker put to a vote an amendment by BYuT representative Oleksandr Turchynov regarding the nomination of candidates for president, but the proposal was supported by only 125 deputies. \n \nAs one of the authors of the draft law, Mykola Rudkovsky, noted in a comment to "Ukrainska Pravda," "this is the most democratic law" and if President Kuchma signs it, then "the Ukrainian people will definitely have a president from the opposition." \n \nHe also emphasized that the law was developed taking into account the electoral practice of the latest presidential and parliamentary elections. \n \nAs the Laboratory of Legislative Initiatives notes, on the eve, one day before the vote, the Temporary Special Commission of the Verkhovna Rada for the elaboration of draft laws of Ukraine on amending the Constitution of Ukraine, to whose jurisdiction a whole package of draft laws related to the conduct of constitutional reform had been assigned, submitted to the consideration of people's deputies a new agreed version of the draft on presidential elections (No. 2047-d). \n \nThe draft law was prepared on the basis of the Katerynchuk-Kliuchkovsky (No. 2047) and Rudkovsky (No. 2047-1) drafts. \n \nThe final version of the text was submitted by deputies Yuriy Kliuchkovsky ("Our Ukraine"), Mykola Rudkovsky (SPU), Stepan Havrysh (Deminitiatives), Oleksandr Zadorozhny ("People's Power"), Mykola Katerynchuk ("Our Ukraine"), Oleksandr Moroz (SPU) and Hryhoriy Ponomarenko (communist faction). \n \nThe approved draft law provides for the possibility of nominating a candidate for the post of president by political parties (electoral bloc) or by self-nomination. \n \nThe election process begins 120 days before election day, pre-election campaigning — from the moment of registration of the candidate. \n \nA new procedure for registering presidential candidates has been established. A condition for registration, in particular, is the payment of a monetary deposit in the amount of 500 thousand hryvnias, which is returned on condition that the candidate receives at least 7% of the votes of voters who participated in the voting. Already after registration of a presidential candidate, he must collect and submit to the CEC at least 500 thousand signatures, collected at no less than 20 thousand signatures in each of two thirds of the regions (Autonomous Republic of Crimea, oblasts, cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol) of Ukraine. Failure to submit signatures within the established period is grounds for canceling registration. \n \nElection commissions are formed upon submission by candidates for the post of president. Candidates submit to the CEC their candidates for membership in territorial and precinct election commissions (no more than two persons to one election commission), who are mandatorily included in the composition of the respective commission. \n \nThe maximum size of a candidate's election fund is 50 thousand minimum wages (or 10.25 million hryvnias with a minimum wage of 205 hryvnias). For candidates included in the ballot for repeat voting ("second round"), the maximum size of the election fund is additionally increased by 15 thousand minimum wages (or about 3 million hryvnias). \n \nA voluntary contribution of an individual to the election fund of one candidate for the post of President of Ukraine cannot exceed twenty-five minimum wages (or 5,125 hryvnias). Contributions by legal entities, foreign citizens and anonymous donors are prohibited. \n\nCancellation of registration of a candidate for the post of president on all grounds provided by law is initiated by the CEC; the decision on cancellation is made by the Supreme Court of Ukraine. \n\nAppeals against decisions of courts of first instance in election disputes in appellate procedure are permitted. \n\nThe draft law provides for televised and radio debates of all candidates before the first round (no more than two candidates in one debate; held between 19:00 and 23:00; the schedule is determined by drawing lots; duration of debates — no less than 60 minutes). \n\nThe voted law also takes into account the proposals contained in the draft law on mandatory televised debates before the second round (No. 5085). It provides for televised debates 5 days before the second round of voting on UT-1 with a duration of at least 100 minutes. In the event of refusal by one of the candidates for the post of President of Ukraine to participate in the televised debates or the impossibility of his participation in them, the time allocated for the televised debates is provided to the other candidate for President of Ukraine for conducting pre-election campaigning.