Oleh Liashko, one of the major leaders of the Euromaidan, ran for President of Ukraine in 2014 on a left-wing populist platform, strongly criticizing Russia and the post-Soviet oligarchs, and promising a social democratic, pro-European future for Ukraine. 

Liashko emphasized his populist positions, such as extensive social welfare, protectionism as a way to support domestic industries, generous agricultural grants and implementation of state control on prices. One of his iconic proposals was for the state to pay at least 5.000 hryvnias to every farmer for every cow owned, and to compensate 50% of farming equipment cost.

Liashko's attacks focused on Petro Poroshenko, whom he criticized as an oligarch out of touch with mainstream Ukrainians. Liashko sought to appeal not just to farmers but also to students and workers who lived in urban areas, but these appeals were not very successful. 

Despite mostly failing to expand his coalition, Liashko won the first round of the election with 37% of the vote versus 31% for Poroshenko, 9% for Yulia Tymoshenko, 5% for Anatoly Hrytsenko and 5% for Serhiy Tihipko. Poroshenko shifted his strategy towards criticizing Liashko's "demagogic" platform, but to no avail, as Liashko was elected with 52% of the vote. 

On 26 October 2014, the Radical Party won a plurality of seats in the Verkhovna Rada, allowing Liashko to implement most of his agenda. By 2018, his administration implemented an extensive welfare policy, a basic income for farmers, higher taxes on products manufactured by oligarchs, and a protectionist trade policy. 

Ukraine's Funniest President | What if Oleh Liashko was elected President of Ukraine in 2014?