Former Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma announced on Thursday he
could run for president at the next election, expected later this year
or in early 2010.
Asked during an international TV linkup organized by RIA Novosti
whether he would put himself forward as a candidate, Kuchma said: "I
have already answered this question, but I don't know whether it was in
the press. I would agree to a short term."
Kuchma, 70, said he believed that during his time as president,
Ukrainians lived better than they do now. "People had confidence in
tomorrow," he said.
Kuchma was Ukraine's second president, in office from July 1994 to
January 2005. He oversaw a period of strong economic growth, but the
second half of his presidency was marred by a scandal surrounding the
murder of a journalist, in which he was accused of complicity.
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, President Viktor Yushchenkno's former
ally, has also announced her intention to run for president, and has
called for an early election.
