The Ukrainian parliamentary election on 26 March is the first since the so-called "Orange Revolution" brought President Viktor Yushchenko to power in 2004.
The poll is widely seen as a vote of confidence in Mr Yushchenko, whose support has dwindled following a year of political infighting, corruption allegations and sluggish economic growth.
Q: Who are the main players?
Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine bloc is facing a challenge from The Party of the Regions, led by Mr Yushchenko's defeated presidential rival Viktor Yanukovych, and the BYT, the party of his erstwhile Orange Revolution ally Yuliya Tymoshenko.
None of these parties is likely to win a majority, and a coalition involving two or more of them is the most likely outcome.
There are more than 40 other parties also contesting the election, but only a handful stand any chance of overcoming the 3% threshold for representation.
Q: What do the main parties stand for?
Orange Revolution support is now split between the Our Ukraine bloc and the BYT. Our Ukraine offers liberal market and pro-Western policies, while the BYT plays on Ms Tymoshenko's charisma and dissatisfaction with Mr Yushchenko. She advocates a stronger role for the state in the economy and is less enthusiastic than Mr Yushchenko about Nato.
The Party of the Regions is the main opposition group and includes several figures from the previous administration of Leonid Kuchma. It has inherited Mr Yanukovych's electoral support in the mainly Russian-speaking east and south, and advocates closer ties with Russia and opposes Nato membership.
Q: What are the main campaign issues?
The Yushchenko administration's handling of the economy is the main campaign issue, as well as its alleged inability to deliver the sweeping changes promised during the Orange Revolution. The opposition has blamed the authorities for sharp increases in food and fuel prices and a slowdown in growth.
Mr Yushchenko has been criticised over the treatment of Kuchma-era officials, with the Party of the Regions accusing him of persecuting them. Ms Tymoshenko is unhappy that former officials accused of corruption and vote-rigging are still at large.
Ms Tymoshenko has also accused several of Mr Yushchenko's allies of corruption. Both she and the Party of the Regions criticised the government for its January 2006 gas deal with Russia.
Q: How strong is the parliament?
Seats in the new 450-member parliament will be allocated on the basis of proportional representation. It will have greater powers, following constitutional changes agreed between Mr Yushchenko and Mr Yanukovych during the Orange Revolution. Parliament, not the president, will now nominate the prime minister and most of the cabinet. The president retains the right to appoint the foreign and defence ministers, the prosecutor-general and the security service chief, subject to parliamentary approval.
The president can dissolve parliament if it fails to form a majority within 30 days or a new cabinet 60 days after the departure of the previous one.
Q: Will the election be free and fair?
Mr Yushchenko has said that this will be the "first truly democratic election in Ukraine's history". The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) agrees that the campaign has been calm and the Central Electoral Commission professional and open.
Mr Yanukovych has alleged that the authorities are planning large-scale vote-rigging by tampering with electoral registers to exclude voters in Russian-speaking regions, but the mainstream media appear sceptical. Our Ukraine has complained of some assaults on its campaigners in eastern Ukraine.
Q: What has media coverage been like?
Media coverage has been more fair and balanced than in previous polls, with criticism of the authorities freely expressed and no ignoring or relentless negative portrayal of the opposition.
Opposition leaders often make lengthy appearances on the main TV channels, and some Ukrainian media analysts say that opposition parties are getting a better press than pro-government groups.
Q: Who will observe the election?
The Central Electoral Commission has registered 1,673 observers from international organisations and 88 from foreign countries, with the largest contingents coming from the European Network of Election Monitoring Organisations (Enemo) and the OSCE.
BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.
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