Comedian takes lead in Ukraine presidential race, polls show
KIEV, Ukraine — A comedian has taken the lead in Ukraine’s presidential race, according to the latest polls released Thursday.
A poll by the Razumkov Center and two other organizations shows Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who played the nation’s president in a popular TV series, surging ahead of incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Zelenskiy’s high rating reflects both his popularity as a TV star and the public disenchantment with current leaders. Ukraine has faced economic troubles and a sharp drop in living standards after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and a separatist insurgency in the east.