TheCable

Volodymyr Zelensky, a comedian, has won the Ukrainian presidential election by a landslide.

Zelensky, who has no political experience, defeated incumbent President Petro Poroshenko in a run-off election.

He dominated the first round of voting three weeks ago when 39 candidates were on the ticket.

Although he has accepted his loss in the election, Poroshenko told supporters in Kiev, capital of the country, that he will not leave politics.

“Next month, I will leave the post of the head of state. That’s how the majority of Ukrainians decided, and I accept this decision,” he said in his concession speech.

The billionaire was elected after an uprising overthrew the country’s previous, pro-Russian government.

In a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, Zelensky thanked his supporters and promised not to let them down.

“I will never let you down. While I am not formally president yet, as a citizen of Ukraine I can tell all post-Soviet countries: ‘Look at us! Everything is possible,” he said.

The comedian had been heavily favoured going into the election, holding a decisive lead in the polls in recent weeks.

Ukraine’s choice was between an experienced politician with five years as president on his CV and a comedian wielding little more than a blank sheet of paper.

The president elect is 41 years old.