Comedian Leads Presidential Race in Ukraine

International media reports that according to exit polls by several prominent pollsters, a comedian-turned-politician Volodymyr Zelenskiy is leading in the presidential elections.

Kyiv Post reports that Zelenskiy received 30.4% of the votes, followed by incumbent President Petro Poroshenko with 17.8 %, and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko with 14.2%.

Pro-Russian former Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko took fourth place with 9.8 %, followed by former Defense Minister Anatoliy Grytsenko with 7.1 %, former Security Service of Ukraine chief Ihor Smeshko with 6.4 %, populist lawmaker Oleh Lyashko with 4.8%; pro-Russian former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Vilkul with four, and nationalist candidate Ruslan Koshulynskiy with 1.8 %.

In case the exit polls turn out to be accurate, Zelenskiy will face off against Poroshenko in the elections second round on April 21.

Zelenskiy, 41, has proved popular with his appeal to voters who are fed up with corruption and has consistently led opinion polls but Western officials and foreign investors are wary of his inexperience.

BBC says Zelenskiy is aiming to turn his satirical TV show Servant of the People - in which he portrays an ordinary citizen who becomes president after fighting corruption - into reality.

“He has torn up the rulebook for election campaigning, staging no rallies and few interviews, and appears to have no strong political views apart from a wish to be new and different,” the article reads.

In addition, Euronews reports the election has been stained by allegations of fraud and vote-buying, which could see candidates contesting the result, adding ultranationalists acting as election observers have also caused concern about the prospect of violence.

By Thea Morrison

Photo source: Kyiv Post