Ukrainians have been casting their vote on Sunday for the country’s new president.
The elections come after months of unrest following the ousting of former President Viktor Yanukovych.
There are officially 21 candidates on the voting paper although four of them are understood to have withdrawn.
Voters in Kyiv said they hoped for a return to normality after the elections.
“I just voted for normal life in our country, only for that. I have three grandchildren and want a better life for them in a normal country,” said Maria Petrenko.
Another voter who gave her name as Viktoria said: “The time is critically important now. We must to choose the authorities, to be a country with legal rulers and authorities.”
Polls show tycoon Petro Poroshenko, known as the “chocolate king” for the fortune he made in the chocolate industry, in the lead but falling short of the absolute majority.
His nearest challenger is former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
If no one wins in the first round, a runoff will be held on 15 June
