Unknown waters for Ukraine after comic wins polls
Print Edition
Ukraine took a leap into the unknown yesterday as comedian Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president on promises of change but just a vague blueprint of what he might do as a leader.
Zelensky, whose only previous political role was playing the president in a TV show, trounced incumbent Petro Poroshenko in Sunday’s election in a stinging rebuke to the establishment fueled by anger over war and social injustice.
Ukrainians looked to the future with hope and anxiety after the performer took 73 percent of the vote, according to nearly complete official results.
The star of the sitcom “Servant of the People,” now in its third season, has vowed to stick to the pro-European course set out by his predecessor.
But he has also said he will try to improve ties with arch-enemy Russia.
On the streets of Kiev, many praised honest elections and a peaceful transfer of power after popular uprisings of 2004 and 2014. “People showed that they want to change,” Karina, 28, said.
“We had the most honest polls in the history of Ukraine,” she added, praising Poroshenko for conceding defeat soon after exit polls were published.
Zelensky — who at 41 will be Ukraine’s youngest-ever president — presented a vague manifesto and one of his campaign slogans was “No promises. No apologies.”
He shunned traditional campaign rallies, instead of performing comedy gigs, and implied he would use the same unorthodox style to run the country of 45 million dependent on international aid.
It remained unclear yesterday who would fill top cabinet positions, including the role of prime minister.
US President Donald Trump and French leader Emmanuel Macron called the political novice to congratulate him on his landslide win.
“Allow us to express our appreciation for the strong attachment to democracy and the rule of law that the people of Ukraine have demonstrated,” EU Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said in a joint letter to Zelensky.
Outgoing Poroshenko said he stood ready to help his successor, despite a bitter campaign.
Russia said it saw an opportunity with the new leader. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said there was “a chance” to improve ties.
But the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was “too early” to say whether it could work with Zelensky
Zelensky has said that among his top priorities are winning the release of Ukrainians being held by Russia and rebooting peace talks.
Poroshenko said that he would leave office but would not quit politics. His faction has the most seats in the legislature and new parliamentary polls are due in October.
In 2014, the new Ukrainian government secured a US$17.5 billion deal led by the International Monetary Fund to buttress the struggling economy. But the disbursement of the funds has often been delayed by Poroshenko’s government.
Zelensky said he will continue cooperating with the IMF and promised to do whatever is necessary to service the country’s debt.
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