Party “servant of the people” President Vladimir Zelensky is leading in the elections to the Verkhovna Rada with separation from the nearest competitor by almost 30% of the vote. This is evidenced by the data on the CEC website.

At the end of counting of 35.5% of protocols, “servant of the people” gathered of 42.19%, second place in the “Opposition platform for life” Victor Medvedchuk from 12.75% in the third – party former President Poroshenko “European solidarity” from 8.71%. Also the five-percent barrier overcome the “Fatherland” from 8.15% and the party of the musician Svyatoslav Vakarchuk’s “the Voice” – 6,39%.

According to the calculations of “the Ukrainian truth”, after the seats in Parliament are distributed as follows: “the Servant of the people” – 228, “the Opposition platform – for Life” – 43 “European solidarity” – 27, “Batkivshchyna” – 26 and “the Voice” – 20. Given the victories in single-member districts, party Zelensky is likely to receive more than 50% of the seats in the Parliament of Ukraine.

Zelensky, thanked voters for the confidence in his political team. “It’s not just a lot of trust, it’s a big responsibility for me personally, for our team,” he said, adding that he wants to see the Prime Minister of the economist, which had not previously been involved in politics. His words are quoted by the BBC Russian service.

A priority Zelensky called the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war and end the war, adding that his party would consider a coalition with the party of “the Voice” Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. The leader of the group “Okean Elzy” said that people voted “for change”. “From what we see, we can say that people voted for change. And we are ready to be part of these changes,” he said, calling that “the old policy, with its methods of the past.”

One of the future members of the “public Servants” David Arachnia told the BBC that the party does not know what odnomandatniki from “public Servants” will win the election, so “we will all need to get acquainted”. It is noted that in the party “very satisfied” with the outcome of the election, but don’t want to talk about the candidacy of the Prime Minister. This position may qualify several top members of the party Zelensky from its head Dmitry Razumkov up to security Council Secretary Alexander danyluk. They themselves say they are going to wait for the decision of the President and the coalition, while Razumkova also predicting an armchair of the head of the Verkhovna Rada.

Zelensky also promised that there would soon be appointed a new attorney General whose name do not begin with “Lu” and end on “Cinco”, obviously hinting at the current Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko, whom the President of Ukraine at the inauguration urged to resign.

The head of Committee of the Federation Council international Affairs Konstantin Kosachev said that Zelensky has managed to transform the Parliament from the opposition in a relatively loyal. According to him, Poroshenko’s team and the most extremist political forces in Ukraine finally be history. “If his artistic period can be compared with a political childhood, the period between victory in the presidential election and the current day was his adolescence. Now, in any case, the coming presidential youth to refer to destructive the Parliament will not succeed,” – said Kosachev.

The leader of “the Opposition platform” Yuriy Boiko thanked voters who “voted for peace, for that the country returned to normal life.” Another key member of the party Viktor Medvedchuk, a well-known Pro-Russian views and cronyism with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that after the elections, there is a “serious stage of the struggle,” and explained that against the party were “very dirty and cynical” campaign. “We are pleased, but not satisfied,” he added.

“The opposition platform” has declared that is ready to help party Zelensky “servant of the people”, but would not cooperate with Pro-European parties. “We will be happy to help those who will establish peace in the Donbass. If the party Zelensky “servant of the people” will strive for peace, we will render assistance, regardless of what our arrangements. All the rest, who will lead us into NATO, the IMF, and it is unclear where we operate will not” – said one of the heads of the party Vadim Rabinovich.

During the day members of all parties that are in Parliament, have stated that they will not enter into a coalition with the Pro-Russian party “the Opposition platform”, and even before the announcement of the results of the exit polls guests of staff was given a huge notebook, where I collected examples of “cinicnnati violations” opponents in the election.

It is noted that the turnout amounted to 49,84% and was lower than usual. According to the CEC, the highest turnout recorded in Chernihiv (41,69%) and Poltava (41,52%) regions. The lowest in the Chernivtsi region, where voted only 27,91% of the voters. One of the leaders of the party “European solidarity” Irina Gerashchenko said that the low turnout in these elections, “distorts the actual sympathy of the whole community.”

Police announced the 2105 registered statements and reports related to the elections. 504 – about illegal campaigning, 74 – bribery of voters, 67 – of obstructing the exercise of electoral rights, 46 different kinds of conflicts, 39 – photographing of ballots, 31 – damage of bulletins and 26 reports of mining, the Ministry of internal Affairs of Ukraine. </s> Poland expects Polish-Ukrainian affairs be an important part of the new Ukrainian government’s agenda, said a Polish presidential aide after early results of Ukraine’s Sunday parliamentary election showed the Ukrainian president’s party is on course to win big.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party will likely to form a one-party parliamentary majority, for the first time in Ukraine’s history.

“One party rule is not only an opportunity for full implementation of the political programme, but also a responsibility,” the head of Polish President Andrzej Duda’s office, Krzysztof Szczerski said on Monday, adding that, after the elections to the Ukrainian parliament on Sunday, Verkhovna Rada, the political milieu of Zelensky, will take full responsibility for the future fate of Ukraine.

“We will therefore wait for the formation of a new cabinet and information on its political priorities,” the Polish president’s aide said.

“We expect, as President Andrzej Duda said after the first meeting with President Zelensky, that the matters which are important in Polish-Ukrainian relations, will be an important part of the political agenda of the new government, and politically coherent with the President of Ukraine,” Szczerski said. “We are ready to cooperate, but we also expect good talks with the new Ukrainian authorities on common Polish-Ukrainian topics,” he added.

Krzysztof Szczerski also said that President Zelensky is expected to visit Warsaw to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, on September 1.

“There is such a will, so I also do not rule out that the Ukrainian president’s first official visit to Poland will take place on September 2, the Polish official said, adding that it would be a good opportunity to talk about the new Ukrainian government’s policy.

Ukraine’s Central Election Commission (CEC) said the ruling party had secured 42.3 percent of the votes, after almost half had been counted on Monday. The Russian-friendly party, Opposition Platform for Life, was in a distant second place with 12.7 pct, followed by former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko’s party, European Solidarity, which secured 8.7 pct. The party of former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko, garnered a little above 8 pct support, while Voice, fronted by rock star Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, received 6.3 pct.

The remaining parties did not pass the 5 pct threshold to enter parliament. (PAP) </s> DONBASS – President of Ukraine Zelensky will end the war in the Donbass by arranging the “night of long knives” for the Nazis and the radicals. So says Ukrainian ex-deputy Oleg Tsarev, reports “TsarGrad” , referring to the comment of the policy of the FAN .

According to him, Zelensky is 90% likely to end the war in the Donbass by fulfilling the Minsk agreements in the form in which they were signed. At the same time, he will try to negotiate with the LDNR directly, removing his rival Medvedchuk from them.

Tsarev notes that Zelensky is not going to share his power with anyone, including with the Ukrainian Nazis. The former parliamentarian does not exclude that in the near future the radicals are waiting for the “night of long knives.”

He assumes that as a step towards Russia to the Crimea, the water supply from Ukraine, which was suspended in 2014, can be restored. As for the recognition of the Crimea as a territory of Russia, this is a more complicated question.

“Not a single Ukrainian politician can not afford to give up the Crimea. At least, as long as there is no “transfer of power” in Kiev, – explained Tsarev.

Today, parliamentary deputy Rabinovich said that the party of war is leading in parliament, which will lead Ukraine to a catastrophe .

Earlier, a Ukrainian political analyst said that, according to the preliminary results of the elections to the Verkhovna Rada, the forces leading up to the country’s entry into NATO and the EU and for hundreds of years of war with Russia are leading in the Ukrainian parliament .

Note that today the leader of the party “Servant of the People” Razumkov said that the new composition of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine may begin work in late August .

Also today, he said that the party “Servant of the People” does not see the point in creating a coalition in the Rada .

In addition, it was reported that the CEC of Ukraine processed half of the electronic protocols .

The Central Election Commission has not recorded serious violations in the elections to the Verkhovna Rada.

Yesterday after the closure of polling stations in Ukraine, official exit poll data were published. The first place in the elections to the Verkhovna Rada was predictably occupied by the party of the current president of Zelensky, “The Servant of the People”. The second is behind the Boyko-Medvedchuk Opposition Platform.

Earlier, the Kiev police reported massive violations of electoral legislation on the eve of elections. </s> Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.

Ukraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.

In addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.

Out of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts. </s> KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.

Ukraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.

In addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.

Out of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts. </s> UKRAINE - Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky announced a snap parliamentary election during his swearing-in as Ukraine’s new president. The election was expected to take place in October 2019. But at the ceremony in Kiev Mr Zelensky said “I am dissolving the Verkhovna Rada (parliament)”. He said ending the conflict with Russian-backed rebels in the east would be his top priority.

A political novice, he campaigned strongly against official corruption.

“People must come to power who will serve the public,” he said on Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would not congratulate Mr Zelensky on his inauguration, but would wait for “the first successes in settling the internal conflict in south-eastern Ukraine, and in normalising Russian-Ukrainian relations”. Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Ukraine’s new leader to implement the Minsk peace accord agreed in 2015, and also suggested an “all for all” prisoner swap between both sides.

Mr Zelensky a former television star, acted the part of Ukrainian president in a popular comedy series. He scored a landslide victory in last month’s presidential election. “We must become Icelanders in football, Israelis in defending our native land, Japanese in technology,” he said at the swearing-in.

He said Ukrainians must also “become Swiss in our ability to live happily with each other, despite any differences”.

“Our first task is to achieve a ceasefire in Donbas,” he said, referring to the eastern region controlled by Russian-backed rebels. In the election Mr Zelensky ousted incumbent Petro Poroshenko, who had been in power since 2014.

Mr Zelensky has given few details of his plans since winning by a landslide on 21 April. He has left it to a team of advisers to try and reassure people that he knows what he’s doing. Mr Zelensky made his inaugural address in Ukrainian but at one point, referring to the conflict in the east, he switched to Russian, saying: “I’m convinced that for this dialogue to start, we must see the return of all Ukrainian prisoners” - apparently a message to the Russian government.

Fighting in the east has claimed about 13,000 lives since Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014.

Zelensky starred in the long-running satirical drama Servant of the People in which his character accidentally becomes Ukraine’s president.

He plays a teacher who is elected after his expletive-laden rant about corruption goes viral on social media.

He ran under a political party with the same name as his show.

With no previous political experience, Mr Zelensky’s campaign focused on his difference from the other candidates rather than on any concrete policy ideas.

Despite this, he stormed to victory and won more than 70% of the vote. </s> A Ukrainian comedian, who is Jewish, was the top vote-getter in the first round of Ukraine’s presidential election, according to exit polls.

Exit polls on Sunday showed Volodymyr Zelensky with 30.4 percent of the vote.At least half of the vote is required to win. A run-off is scheduled for April 21.Zelensky will face either incumbent Petro Poroshenko, who is seeking a second term and is showing 17.8 percent in the exit poll, or former prime minister Yulia Timoshenko, who polled at 14.2 percent in the run-off, but is disputing the results.Timoshenko also is rumored to be Jewish.Zelensky, 41, whom the local media call “the Ukrainian Donald Trump,” portrays a history teacher turned president in his hit television show “Servant of the People.”Born in Kryvyi Rih, near Dnipro, to a Jewish family of scientists, Zelensky has not mentioned his Jewish identity in interviews before or during the campaign, which critics say is purposefully vague.

var cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>



`; document.getElementById("linkPremium").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ }); </s> Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky won a victory against his rival Petro Poroshenko in the second round of the presidential elections, according to the exit polls.

THE OFFICIAL RESULTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY MAY 1

According to the National Exit Poll, Zelensky candidate of the Servant of the People Party secured 73.2% of the votes, whereas Poroshenko got 25.3%. The poll announced that the turnout was at 62%.

Following the announcement of the unofficial results, Zelensky thanked the Ukranians for their support. "We have done it together," he was quoted as saying by Ukrinform news agency.

Poroshenko who congratulated the new president-elect admitted that the results were clear. However, defeated Poroshenko also signaled that he will not retire from politics in a speech at his campaign headquarters.

After the first poll results on March 31, no candidate surpassed the 50-percent threshold, paving way for a second round in the presidential elections. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Volodymyr Zelensky and his supporters celebrate winning Ukraine's presidential election

Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky has scored a landslide victory in the country's presidential election.

With nearly all ballots counted in the run-off vote, Mr Zelensky had taken more than 73% with incumbent Petro Poroshenko trailing far behind on 24%.

"I will never let you down," Mr Zelensky told celebrating supporters.

Russia says it wants him to show "sound judgement", "honesty" and "pragmatism" so that relations can improve. Russia backs separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The comments came from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, in a Facebook post on Monday (in Russian).

He said he expected Mr Zelensky to "repeat familiar ideological formulas" that he used in the election campaign, adding: "I have no illusions on that score.

"At the same time, there is a chance to improve relations with our country."

Mr Poroshenko, who admitted defeat after the first exit polls were published, has said he will not be leaving politics.

He told voters that Mr Zelensky, 41, was too inexperienced to stand up to Russia effectively.

Mr Zelensky, a political novice, is best known for starring in a satirical television series Servant of the People, in which his character accidentally becomes Ukrainian president.

EPA Volodymyr Zelensky 73%landslide win on 21 April Comedian but trained as a lawyer

Instagram star with 4.2m followers

Millionaire thanks to his production company Kvartal 95

Linked to oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky through show on TV channel 1+1 Source: Ukrainian and international media

He told reporters he would "reboot" peace talks with the separatists fighting Ukrainian forces and volunteers in the east.

"I think that we will have personnel changes. In any case we will continue in the direction of the Minsk [peace] talks and head towards concluding a ceasefire," he said.

There are sporadic skirmishes and the situation also remains tense around Crimea, annexed from Ukraine by Russia in 2014.

Time for the joking to stop

Analysis by Jonah Fisher, BBC News, Kiev

Ukrainians are waking up this morning and discovering that the last few months were not a dream.

They really have elected a man who currently stars in a TV series as the president - as the country's next real president. And it wasn't even close.

The pressure will now be on Mr Zelensky to demonstrate that he knows what he is doing.

Throughout the election campaign, he avoided serious interviews and discussions about policy - preferring instead to post light-hearted videos to social media.

He's got about a month before the inauguration. Then the comedian-turned-president will be faced with a complex in-tray that includes a simmering war with Russian-backed rebels in the east.

Mr Poroshenko, who has been in power since 2014, said the result of the election "leaves us with uncertainty [and] unpredictability".

"I will leave office but I want to firmly stress - I will not quit politics," he said.

Presidential election results. Second round Latest as of 13:50, 30 April, Kiev time (BST +2).

UKRAINE Turnout: 62.09%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 73.22

Petro Poroshenko: 24.45

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Lviv Turnout: 67.34%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Petro Poroshenko: 62.79

Volodymyr Zelensky: 34.49

Petro Poroshenko:Volodymyr Zelensky: Transcarpathia Turnout: 46.38%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 80.67

Petro Poroshenko: 16.69

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Mykolayiv Turnout: 60.66%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 85.52

Petro Poroshenko: 12.52

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Ivano-Frankivsk Turnout: 59.96%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 54.58

Petro Poroshenko: 42.46

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Volyn Turnout: 64.25%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 63.42

Petro Poroshenko: 33.97

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Rivne Turnout: 60.7%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 60.06

Petro Poroshenko: 37.49

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Ternopil Turnout: 64.05%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 50.43

Petro Poroshenko: 46.64

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Vinnytsia Turnout: 62.52%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 62.97

Petro Poroshenko: 34.74

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Dnipropetrovsk Turnout: 65.89%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 87.25

Petro Poroshenko: 10.81

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Donetsk Turnout: 57.23%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 86.94

Petro Poroshenko: 10.59

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Zhytomyr Turnout: 61.16%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 73.62

Petro Poroshenko: 24.23

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Zaporizhzhya Turnout: 64.26%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 86.55

Petro Poroshenko: 11.51

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Kiev region Turnout: 64.22%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 70.02

Petro Poroshenko: 27.68

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Kirovohrad Turnout: 60.53%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 80.47

Petro Poroshenko: 17.51

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Luhansk Turnout: 56.35%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 89.44

Petro Poroshenko: 8.43

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Odesa Turnout: 58.95%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 87.21

Petro Poroshenko: 10.6

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Poltava Turnout: 64.9%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 82.15

Petro Poroshenko: 15.62

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Sumy Turnout: 62.85%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 82.12

Petro Poroshenko: 15.87

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Kharkiv Turnout: 64.66%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 86.88

Petro Poroshenko: 11.17

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Kherson Turnout: 57.42%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 83.02

Petro Poroshenko: 15.05

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Khmelnytsky Turnout: 62.67%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 70.8

Petro Poroshenko: 26.83

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Cherkasy Turnout: 60.93%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 77.43

Petro Poroshenko: 20.13

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Chernivtsi Turnout: 54.09%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 75.87

Petro Poroshenko: 21.64

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Chernihiv Turnout: 62.61%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 77.8

Petro Poroshenko: 19.99

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko: Kiev city Turnout: 65.85%

Turnout: Votes for each candidate (%): Volodymyr Zelensky: 60.17

Petro Poroshenko: 36.95

Volodymyr Zelensky:Petro Poroshenko:

Billionaire Mr Poroshenko was elected after an uprising overthrew the country's previous pro-Russian government.

In a tweet, he said "a new inexperienced Ukrainian president... could be quickly returned to Russia's orbit of influence".

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Petro Poroshenko was elected after an uprising overthrew the previous pro-Russian government

But Russia's foreign ministry said Ukrainian voters had expressed their desire for political change.

"The new leadership now must understand and realise the hopes of its electors," deputy foreign minister Grigory Karasin told the Ria Novosti news agency. "This of course applies to domestic as well as foreign affairs."

What's the reaction been?

French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Mr Zelensky in a phone call, as did Poland's President Andrzej Duda.

In a tweet, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "You will now truly be the Servant of the People."

The US embassy in Ukraine tweeted its congratulations while European Council President Donald Tusk said the EU was "determined to continue its support" for Ukraine.

Skip Twitter post by @eucopresident A decisive day for Ukraine. Free elections and peaceful change of power = strong Ukrainian democracy. Congratulations to Volodymyr Zelensky. The EU is determined to continue its support. — Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) April 21, 2019 Report

Who is Volodymyr Zelensky?

Mr Zelensky starred in the long-running satirical drama Servant of the People in which his character accidentally becomes Ukraine's president.

He plays a teacher who is elected after his expletive-laden rant about corruption goes viral on social media.

He ran under a political party with the same name as his show.

With no previous political experience, Mr Zelensky's campaign focused on his difference to the other candidates rather than on any concrete policy ideas.

Despite this, he won the first round with more than 30% of the vote - almost double what Mr Poroshenko got when he finished in second place with 15.95%.

What do voters think of him?

Analysts believe Mr Zelensky's informal style and vow to clean up Ukrainian politics resonated with voters who are disillusioned with the country's path under Mr Poroshenko.

Eschewing traditional campaign tactics, Mr Zelensky channelled his on-screen persona by promising to stamp out corruption and loosen the grip of oligarchs on Ukraine.

Experts say his supporters, frustrated with establishment politicians and cronyism, have been energised by his charisma and anti-corruption message.

His critics, meanwhile, are sceptical about his credentials, with many expressing concern over his close links to the billionaire oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky.

They have expressed doubts that he will be able to take on the country's influential oligarchs and stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Servant of the People, President Zelensky’s party, wins most of the seats with a comfortable majority.