Comedian Zelenskiy wins Ukrainian presidential polls

KIEV (Reuters): A Ukrainian comedian, who plays a fictitious president in a TV show, is tipped to become Ukraine’s next leader, according to a national exit poll.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has no previous experience in politics, has won 73% of the vote, the poll showed, surpassing his rival, incumbent Petro Poroshenko, who has just 25% of the vote.

Zelenskiy and Poroshenko faced off in a run-off vote to decide the country’s next president on Sunday.

Zelenskiy, 41-years-old, led the first round of voting three weeks ago which listed 39 candidates on the ballot paper. Zelenskiy and Poroshenko met in an unconventional debate at a football stadium in Kyiv on Friday after the comedian challenged the incumbent president to a debate on social media. Both have pledged to keep Ukraine on a pro-Western course.

The actor is best known for playing an ordinary teacher who is unexpectedly elected to the presidency after an angry rant about corruption was posted online by his students. However, Poroshenko has warned his opponent’s lack of experience would leave Ukraine vulnerable to Russia.

The country has been fighting a war against Russian-backed forces in the east and whoever is confirmed as the next president will also inherit the West’s standoff with Russia following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea.

Zelenskiy has proved popular with his campaign to end corruption, ramp up living standards, and end the war in the eastern Donbass region but he has not overtly specified how he intends to do so in the election campaign.