Breaking News: Comedian Zelenskiy Takes the Lead in Presidential Race

UKRAINE - In Brief 31 Jan 2019 by Dmytro Boyarchuk

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It’s a shock. Hype around Zelenskiy exceeded any expectations. Three reputable sociological agencies (funded by USAID) reported that Volodymyr Zelenskiy took the lead in presidential race. It looks like a surreal show but… we will not have a chance to wake up in some other reality. My impression –Ukrainians are extremely tired of ‘all-the-same’ faces in politics. A kind of ‘protesting-vote’. Remarkably, despite strong support to Zelenskiy only 10.8% of respondents believe that he indeed might become the president. Majority anticipate that either incumbent president Petro Poroshenko (20.5% of respondents) or Yulia Tymoshenko (19.9%) will rule the country for the next 5 years. Volodymyr Zelenskiy arranged an unconventional campaign which attracts a lot of attention.People criticize him for many things but he is permanently in the headlines.He announced that he is gathering his team and called to register lay Ukrainians online. Those who registered were involved into an interactive communication targeting to make person feel tangent to some activities. He is already perceived seriously by civic activists. He enjoys prime-time on 1+1 TV Channel which belongs to oligarch Igor Kolomoyskiy. The reported statistics, definitely, will make many skeptics look on Zelenskiy with different eyes. Bad news, we have no idea what we might expect from Zelenskiy if he indeed becomes a president.