Mark Stratford
Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky is President of Ukraine.
Updated: Aug 1, 2019
Volodymyr Zelensky a comedian with no political experience wins the Presidency of Ukraine. Zelensky became the country’s sixth president and first Jewish president in 28 years of independence. It is difficult to predict the future for Ukraine under Zelensky. He is a self-made millionaire who has close ties to Ukrainian billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskyi. But already faces challenges that may yet see him fail. Andriy Sadovyi, head of the Samopomich party, the 2nd largest opposition group in the Ukrainian parliament, has said two days before the vote he was gathering support for a parliamentary bill which could weaken Zelensky's presidency.
Zelenskiy has run a campaign like a virtual reality candidate. Throughout his campaign, Zelensky has had little contact with voters other than to reach out to them on social media channels . Critics, have accused him of avoiding direct questions and not having any policies on how he will develop Ukraine.
Zelenskiy has been under attack by the Ukrainian media. 20 media outlets have issued an open-letter demanding he stop avoiding journalist and answer media questions. This all comes after his "no-show" last Sunday at the Olympiyskiy Stadium for the televised face-off. Zelenskiy has since confirmed he will appear in the next TV debate.