Elections in Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelensky won the first round and will seek to chair Petro Poroshenko by secret ballot

Volodymyr Zelensky, inexperienced in politics, won the first round of the Ukrainian elections this Sunday and will face the president Petro Poroshenko in the ballot on April 21st.

Despite the doubts of his critics about his ability to govern and the ambiguity of his program, this atypical candidate took full advantage of the rejection of the elites, a particularly strong global trend in Ukraine after years of great economic difficulties and corruption scandals.

At 41, Zelensky won 30.4% of the vote against 17.8% for President Poroshenko, 53 years. In third position was the former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko (58 years) with 14%, according to a survey of the company "Exit poll national" which brings together three investigators from this country.

Other polls published by the Ukrainian media gave results indicating the same order between the three favorites.

The Electoral Commission plans to publish the first partial results in the night. A half day election the electoral body had estimated participation at 45%, more than in 2014.

The outcome of these elections is crucial for Ukraine, a country in economic crisis that has also led a war against pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the territory, which has killed more than 13,000 people in five years. This generates unprecedented tensions with neighboring Russia, which annexed in 2014 the Ukrainian Peninsula of Crimea.

Zelenski's only "experience" as a leader is limited to his role in a television series. in which he plays a history teacher who suddenly becomes president.

The actor said his victory in the first round of the elections was "only a first step". "This is only a first step towards a great victory"he badured his campaign headquarters.

At the same time, President Poroshenko said that he did not feel "euphoric" after these results. "It's a tough lesson for me and for the authorities in general, it's a reason to work on our mistakes," he told his headquarters.

Zelensky's rapid rise was favored by the rejection of Ukrainian voters by the country's elites. several times by bribery scandals, and the disappointment left by the pro-Western uprising on Maidan Square, five years ago, brought Poroshenko to power.

Zelensky's critics, on the other hand, doubt his ability to govern the country, while his supporters see him as a new face, without the burden of compromises and failures of the current political clbad.

The actor, who during the election campaign opted for shows and social networks rather than rallies and interviews, spent the last hours of the campaign on Friday acting on the outskirts of Kiev with his company.

Some accuse him of being a puppet of the controversial oligarch Igor Kolomoiski, enemy of Poroshenko.