KIEV, May 16. /ITAR-TASS/. The president who will be elected in early elections in Ukraine on May 25, shall have authority over 5 years, the decision released today by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.

"According to the Constitution the president is elected by the citizens of Ukraine at the snap election for a term of 5 years," said in the judgment.

A total of 20 people were registered by Ukraine’s Central Election Commission to run for the country’s presidency.

Nine registered candidates were nominated by political parties. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was nominated by the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party, former Defense Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko — by the Civil Position party, former Minister of Revenues and Duties Oleksandr Klymenko — by the Ukrainian People’s Party, Vasyl Kuybida — by the People’s Movement of Ukraine (Rukh), Oleh Lyashko — by the Radical Party, Petro Symonenko — by the Ukrainian Communist Party, Oleg Tyagnibok — by the Svoboda (Freedom) party, and Dmytro Yarosh — by the radical Right Sector organization.

Other candidates, including tycoon Petro Poroshenko, are self-nominees. Poroshenko, however, can count on the support from Vitali Klitschko’s UDAR party, while Mykhailo Dobkin is backed by the Party of Regions.

Potential presidential contenders were to submit their registration document to the Central Election Commission by midnight on March 30 and make an electoral pledge of 2.5 million hryvnias (about 236,000 U.S. dollars).