Ukraine elects comedian as president

A Ukrainian comedian with no political experience led by a wide margin on Monday in the country’s presidential election. With more than 96 percent of the ballots counted, Volodymyr Zelensky was ahead with 73 percent of the vote, while incumbent President Petro Poroshenko secured just 24 percent. Ukrainians had criticized Poroshenko for the country’s poor economy and the five-year war against Russian-backed separatists in the east. Zelensky garnered votes in the country’s east and west regions that are typically polarized in elections. Without giving many details, he promised to rid the government of graft and prioritize ending the conflict.

The 41-year-old comedian became popular after he acted in a television series as a high school teacher who became president. “To all the countries of the former Soviet nations—look at us, everything is possible,” Zelensky said.