Overall, Ukrainians like him. He is a respected business man, one of the few in Ukraine who has not shown any corruption during a long career. Also, his candy is delicious.
Yulia Tymoshenko (Fatherland)
Known for her signature braids and prison stint, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is trying her hand at the presidency once more. She was the runner up in the 2010 election that Yanukovych won. When she isn't trying to become president, Tymoshenko is a natural gas tycoon. She was thrown into prison for abuse of power in 2011, but this February, the Parliament freed her at the height of the Maidan uprising.
Tymoshenko does have ties to Russia, and if elected, will push for free trade with Russia and a renegotiation of the gas trade. Her campaign has supposed "European values"; her main goal is making sure Ukraine joins the European Union.
While Tymoshenko does have honorable goals, many Ukrainians view her as a relic of the past, and too close to Russian officials for comfort. Because of this, she trails Poroshenko. She is tied for second place in poll predictions with just under nine percent of the vote.
Serhiy Tihipko (Strong Ukraine)
Also in second place, Tihipko nominated himself for his presidential candidacy. He has served as the vice prime minister since 2012. Unlike his two strongest competitors, Tihipko has a Russian allegiance. In the past, he has advocated for making Russian Ukraine's second official language. Language is a major point of contention for Ukrainians. In Western Ukraine, all higher education is in Ukrainian, and Russian speakers are frowned down upon. In Eastern Ukraine, it is the opposite. Poroshenko and Tymoshenko both give campaign speeches in Ukrainian.
Tihipko also hopes to join the EU if elected, and believes efforts to become a European nation are more beneficial than continued relationships with Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia.
He also supports the legalization of prostitution. And he's a billionaire.
Mykhailo Dobkin (Party of Regions)
Dobkin is a major supporter of Yanukovych, even recently accompanying him to Russia. He has attended pro-Russian rallies and speaks in Russia. (He also has a "boring face.") If elected, he plans to move Ukraine's capital from Kiev (in the center of the country) to Kharkiv.
He has just under four percent in predicted votes. Considering Ukraine just worked extremely hard to oust Yanukovych, Dobkin, quite frankly, does not stand a chance.
Oleh Tyahnybok (Svoboda)
Tyahnybok is a physician turned presidential candidate. He is pro-NATO, anti-Russia, and really wants to get Crimea back. (Probably for the dolphins. We get it, Oleh.)
If elected, he wants to add an ethnicity category to Ukrainian passports and introduce a mandatory civil service test in Ukrainian. (Presumably, to prove fluency in Ukrainian.) He would also make Kiev a nuclear power hub.
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