OREANDA-NEWS The canadian government will allocate $24 million for the organization of presidential elections in Ukraine, which are scheduled for March 31, 2019.

This was stated on Thursday by foreign Minister of Canada Christa Freeland.

"The decision to allocate $ 24 million will support greater participation of civil society and women in the elections in Ukraine," she said at a meeting of the Council of foreign Ministers of the OSCE participating States in Milan. Freeland said that these funds will be directed "to help the government of Ukraine, civil society and independent media to counter misinformation" during the election process.

At the end of August 2018, the Central election Commission of Ukraine reported that the state budget expenditures for the organization of the upcoming elections will amount to 2.36 billion hryvnia ($84.3 million at the current rate).

The elections are to be held on 31 March 2019. According to the latest polls, 18.9% of respondents are ready to vote for the leader of the Batkivshchyna party, and 9.9% for Anatoly Gritsenko and the incumbent President Petro Poroshenko. A little behind them is the founder of the "Opposition platform - For life" Yuriy Boyko, who has 9.8% of popular support.

Humorist Vladimir Zelensky and rock musician Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, who have not yet announced their desire to run, are gaining, according to various sources, from 5% to 11% of the vote.

Canada in 2019 will send to the presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine a large monitoring mission.

You know that officially this decision will be announced during the Council of Ministers of member countries of OSCE which will take place on 6-7 December in Milan. While the exact data on the number of observers and the duration of their stay in Ukraine are unknown.

In autumn, the government of Canada has already stated that" it is set to send a large and effective monitoring mission to the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine", but no details were announced.