Comedian Zelenskiy wins Ukrainian presidential race by landslide - exit polls

[webfact]

Comedian Zelenskiy wins Ukrainian presidential race by landslide - exit polls

By Matthias Williams and Andrew Osborn

 

Ukrainian presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy reacts following the announcement of the first exit poll in a presidential election at his campaign headquarters in Kiev, Ukraine April 21, 2019. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

 

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine entered uncharted political waters on Sunday after exit polls showed a comedian with no political experience and few detailed policies had easily won enough votes to become the next president of a country at war.

 

The apparent landslide victory of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 41, is a bitter blow for incumbent Petro Poroshenko who tried to rally Ukrainians around the flag by casting himself as a bulwark against Russian aggression and a champion of Ukrainian identity.

 

Two national exit polls showed Zelenskiy had won 73 percent of the vote with Poroshenko winning just 25 percent. Early voting data suggested the polls were accurate.

 

Zelenskiy, who plays a fictitious president in a popular TV series, is now poised to take over the leadership of a country on the frontline of the West's standoff with Russia following Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

 

Declaring victory at his campaign headquarters to emotional supporters, Zelenskiy promised he would not let the Ukrainian people down.

 

"I'm not yet officially the president, but as a citizen of Ukraine, I can say to all countries in the post-Soviet Union look at us. Anything is possible!"

 

European Council President Donald Tusk congratulated Zelenskiy, as did French President Emmanuel Macron and British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt.

 

Zelenskiy, whose victory fits a pattern of anti-establishment figures unseating incumbents in Europe and further afield, has promised to end the war in the eastern Donbass region and to root out corruption amid widespread dismay over rising prices and sliding living standards.

 

But he has been coy about exactly how he plans to achieve all that and investors want reassurances that he will accelerate reforms needed to attract foreign investment and keep the country in an International Monetary Fund programme.

 

"Since there is complete uncertainty about the economic policy of the person who will become president, we simply don't know what is going to happen and that worries the financial community," said Serhiy Fursa, an investment banker at Dragon Capital in Kiev.

 

"We need to see what the first decisions are, the first appointments. We probably won't understand how big these risks are earlier than June. Perhaps nothing will change."

 

WEST WATCHING CLOSELY

The United States, the European Union and Russia will be closely watching Zelenskiy's foreign policy pronouncements to see if and how he might try to end the war against pro-Russian separatists that has killed some 13,000 people.

 

Zelenskiy said on Sunday he planned to continue European-backed talks with Russia on a so far largely unimplemented peace deal and would try to free Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia, which is holding 24 Ukrainian sailors among others.

 

Viktor Medvedchuk, the Kremlin's closest ally in Ukraine, last week outlined ways in which Ukraine and Russia could mend ties, though Zelenskiy has given no indication of being open to the prospect.

 

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Ukraine now had a chance to "reset" and unite its people.

 

An emotional Poroshenko conceded defeat to his supporters, some of whom were crying.

 

Although he said he accepted the loss, he said he would not leave politics and that Zelenskiy would face strong opposition, a reminder that Zelenskiy will have to work with a sometimes volatile parliament before it is re-elected in October.

 

Zelenskiy has pledged to keep Ukraine on a pro-Western course, but has sounded less emphatic than Poroshenko about possible plans for the country of 42 million people to one day join the European Union and NATO.

 

Poroshenko said on social media he thought Zelenskiy's win would spark celebrations in the Kremlin.

 

"They believe that with a new inexperienced Ukrainian President, Ukraine could be quickly returned to Russia's orbit of influence," he wrote.

 

Critics accuse Zelenskiy of having an unhealthily close working relationship with a powerful oligarch called Ihor Kolomoisky, whose TV channel broadcasts his comedy shows.

 

Zelenskiy has rejected those accusations.

 

One of the most important and early tests of that promise will be the fate of PrivatBank, Ukraine's largest lender, which was nationalised in 2016.

 

The government wrested PrivatBank from Kolomoisky as part of a banking system clean-up backed by the IMF, which supports Ukraine with a $3.9 billion loan programme.

 

But its fate hangs in the balance after a Kiev court ruled days before the election that the change of PrivatBank's ownership was illegal, delighting Kolomoisky but rocking the central bank which said it would appeal.

 

Zelenskiy has repeatedly denied he would seek to hand PrivatBank back to Kolomoisky if elected or help the businessman win compensation for the ownership change.

 

The IMF will be watching closely too to see if Zelenskiy will allow gas prices to rise to market levels, an IMF demand but a politically sensitive issue and one Zelenskiy has been vague about.

 

Zelenskiy gave few new policy details on Sunday, but said he wanted a new general prosecutor to replace incumbent Yuriy Lutsenko, and spoke of wanting new generals to work in the army.

 

His unorthodox campaign traded on the character he plays in the TV show, a scrupulously honest schoolteacher who becomes president by accident after an expletive-ridden rant about corruption goes viral.

 

Zelenskiy has promised to fight corruption, a message that has resonated with Ukrainians fed up with the status quo in a country that is one of Europe's poorest nearly three decades after breaking away from the Soviet Union.

 

For Election graphic, see - https://tmsnrt.rs/2EEQ22R

 

(Additional Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Natalia Zinets, Andrei Makhovsky and Polina Ivanova; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-04-22

[helpisgood]

Well, as a comic, if he says things like raking leaves will prevent forest fires or describe the dangers of windmills or other such things, we will know that, unlike a TV reality star, the Ukrainian president was just kidding. 

[Tug]

Let’s hope he is smarter and more moral than donald

[neeray]

It's the new trend; comics for president. Problem is, the other comedian isn't joking, just getting laughed at.

[lannarebirth]

As Al Franken discovered, leave your sense of humor at the door.

[Emdog]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Let’s hope he is smarter and more moral than donald

setting the bar rather low, don't you think?

[TPI]

Maybe HRC would have a better chance in the Ukraine? She's got no chance anywhere else!

[Basil B]

Holy Mackerel, whatnext...

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

Maybe he will do a good job.

I am sure good acting will help a lot in those meetings with all the other heads of states.

 

A prime example how to do it wrong is that guy who doesn't even remember his last lie where his father was born. A good actor knows he has to be consistent to make him believable.

[blazes]

Whatever his opinions and intentions, it is clear that the people of Ukraine do not see their "salvation" in Nato interference or in the implied EU invitation to join the Club.  

[tlandtday]

The former leader was nothing but a mafia crook good for the ukraine geting rid of him but a sad state of affairs for the discredited politicians everywhere.

[Jingthing]

6 hours ago, Tug said:

Let’s hope he is smarter and more moral than Donald

Excellent chance of that. A very very low bar!

[OneMoreFarang]

9 minutes ago, tlandtday said:

The former leader was nothing but a mafia crook good for the ukraine geting rid of him but a sad state of affairs for the discredited politicians everywhere.

Now thinking about Thailand ...

[Ulic]

Why not, after all, you have a corrupt billionaire chocolatier and a comedian/actor to choose from and the corrupt billionaire chocolatier has already had his chance. 

[mercman24]

i know quite a few comedians running countries, say no more

[gk10002000]

All the jokes about an actor becoming president (Ronald Reagan for example).  Well, the script has become real, one each Donald Trump, now this fellow.  This is why I don't want a jury trial.  People out there vote by publicity and infamy.  But who knows, maybe the guy will be a good leader/executive.

[bomber]

still hope for tommy morrison becoming the UKs leader

[Benmart]

23 hours ago, Tug said:

Let’s hope he is smarter and more moral than donald

You comments reveal a lack of political and geographical distance between the two countries. By the way, names are capitalized.

[Benmart]

4 hours ago, bomber said:

still hope for tommy morrison becoming the UKs leader

 

4 hours ago, bomber said:

still hope for tommy morrison becoming the UKs leader

You comments reveal a lack of political and geographical distance between the two countries. By the way, names are capitalized.

[OneMoreFarang]

4 hours ago, bomber said:

still hope for tommy morrison becoming the UKs leader

I read he has a couple of criminal convictions. And then he changed his name to hide the truth...

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.  

 

[bomber]

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I read he has a couple of criminal convictions. And then he changed his name to hide the truth...

about 7 or 8 including fraud,football violance,wife beating,forgot the rest

[bomber]

6 hours ago, Benmart said:

 

You comments reveal a lack of political and geographical distance between the two countries. By the way, names are capitalized.

sorry to of upset you so much,now have a nice day mr gramma polis