A Ukrainian comedian won the nation’s presidential election in a landslide, exit polls released on Sunday showed.
Volodymyr Zelensky, a TV star with no political experience, garnered a total of 73 percent of the vote, according to exit polls released after the election.
Zelensky, who played the president of Ukraine on his popular sitcom, spoke to supporters at his election-night celebration.
“To all Ukrainians, no matter where you are, I promise that I will never let you down,” Zelensky said after the results came in.
“Though I’m still not president, I can say as a Ukrainian citizen to all the countries of the former Soviet Union: Look at us. Everything is possible.”
The candidate’s win reflected the disdain with which many Ukrainians see their political establishment five years after their pro-Western revolution.
