Ukrainian president votes in parliamentary elections

KIEV - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych cast his ballot on Sunday in Kiev as Ukrainians went to the polls in parliamentary elections.

"I am voting for the stability, for the economic development of the country and for a better life of our people," the president told reporters in the No 217 polling station.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych holds his ballot as he visits a polling station during the parliamentary elections in Kiev, Oct 28, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Earlier, Yanukovych called on his countrymen to vote for their future, saying the parliamentary elections would serve as a significant stage in Ukraine's development.

Around 33,000 polling stations across the country opened from 8:00 am (0600 GMT) to 8:00 pm (1800 GMT). According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), some 36.6 million registered voters will elect the 450 lawmakers of the parliament, or Verkhovna Rada.

The Ministry of Interior Affairs of Ukraine said 70,000 policemen have been deployed to safeguard the Election Day.

The ongoing elections are conducted under a mixed system, with 225 members of parliament elected on party lists and the remaining 225 in single-seat constituencies.

Unlike previous parliamentary elections, this time single-seat candidates were registered by the CEC, rather than district commissions.

In the party-list voting, a parliament's threshold will be raised from 3 to 5 percent of the total ballot. At first, the CEC registered list of candidates from 22 political parties, however, the Sobor Party later decided to withdraw itself from registration in the polls.

According to pre-election surveys, at least four parties will obtain over 5 percent of the ballot and win seats in the parliament, including Yanukovych's ruling Party of Regions, the United Opposition or "Fatherland" Party of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the "Punch" Party led by heavyweight boxing champion Vitaly Klitchko and the Ukrainian Communist Party.

The Party of Regions is expected to collect the most votes and retain its majority in the Ukrainian legislative body, while the opposition parties that have gathered around Tymoshenko and Klitchko are expected to fight for second and third.

Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year sentence after being convicted of abuse of office last year.

In order to ensure transparency and democracy in the polls, video monitoring system was deployed in all polling stations. Ukrainians and other Internet users could follow and monitor the voting process at targeted stations on-line.

The CEC will announce the final election results within 15 days and preliminary results will be available along the way.

Meanwhile, the elections will be monitored by 3,800 international and 240,000 local observers.

People cast their votes at a polling station during the parliamentary elections in Kiev, Oct 28, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]