The Politics of Electoral Reform in Ukraine

Abstract

ABSTRACT Since independence, Ukraine has had three major electoral reforms, moving from a majoritarian system to a mixed system (1997), to proportional representation (2004), and back to a mixed system (2011). Two additional reform attempts (1993 and 2001) resulted in minor changes to the electoral law. What explains the timing and direction of electoral reforms in Ukraine? Extant research fails to provide satisfactory answers. I argue that the shifting expectations of electoral change by the key actors explain the observed outcomes. Negative expectations led to adoption or preservation of permissive electoral systems, while positive expectations resulted in adoption or preservation of restrictive systems. Within-case analysis of five episodes of electoral reform supports this argument.