Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky wins presidential election over incumbent Petro Poroshenko, according to exit polls
By Anton Troianovski Anton Troianovski Moscow bureau chief covering Russia Email Bio Follow April 21 at 1:26 PM KIEV, Ukraine — Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky swept to victory in Ukraine’s presidential election Sunday, an exit poll showed, as millions of voters weary of war and economic hardship rebuked the ruling elites and ushered in fresh uncertainty for their geopolitically pivotal nation.
Zelensky’s experience in politics amounts to playing the Ukrainian president on a popular sitcom. But amid a continuing war in eastern Ukraine, economic travails and popular revulsion over allegations of government corruption, Zelensky’s anti-establishment, antiwar and reformist message captured the support of a wide cross-section of the country.
Ukraine, a country of more than 40 million people, is pivotal to Putin’s effort to maintain a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. Putin annexed Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula and backed separatists in eastern Ukraine after popular protests toppled a Moscow-friendly president in Kiev in 2014. A successful democracy in Ukraine — which shares deep historic, linguistic and cultural links with Russia — could also energize opposition within Russia to Putin’s autocratic rule.
In his last-ditch appeal before the runoff, Poroshenko told voters that handing the presidency to Zelensky would imperil the very existence of the country. Zelensky’s slick, social media and TV-driven campaign masked the influence of the Kremlin and of unscrupulous billionaires, Poroshenko alleged. During his campaign, Zelensky largely eschewed traditional advertising and unscripted interactions with journalists. Instead, the entertainer relied on social media and his television shows to reach voters.
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