A comedian who played the role of president in a popular Ukrainian TV show is now on track to become the actual president of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 41, appears to have won the presidency by a wide margin in a runoff election against the incumbent president, who accepted the defeat Sunday.
Results from an exit poll released two hours before polls closed across Ukraine showed Zelenskiy with a commanding 73.2% to 25.3% lead against 53-year-old President Petro Poroshenko. The exit poll has a 3% margin of error.
Zelenskiy is new to politics. He plays the role of president in the satirical Ukrainian TV show “Servant of the People,” which is about an ordinary man who ends up president after fighting corruption.
“We did it together,” Zelenskiy said to supporters at his campaign headquarters, walking up to the stage with the theme song from his show playing. “ … Thanks to all the Ukrainian citizens who voted for me, and to all who didn’t. I promise I won’t mess up.”
After casting his ballot, Poroshenko, who has served as president since 2014, said that he was worried about the fate of the country if it elects a comedian with no political experience to lead the Eastern European country.
“It’s important to be guided by reason, not laughs,” Poroshenko said. “ … It could be funny first, but pain may come later.” He later conceded the election after it was clear that he was going to lose by a landslide. Despite the loss, Poroshenko said he was not leaving politics.
Sunday’s election was a runoff contest after neither candidate got the requisite majority in last month’s 39-candidate election. Zelenskiy took in more than 30% during the first round.
The presidency in Ukraine has significant control over foreign policy and security. Russia annexed Crimea, a peninsula south of Ukraine in 2014, straining relations between the two nations. Ukraine is also in the midst of a conflict against Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country.
