Ukraine chooses president with comic actor as big favorite against Petro Poroshenko in the poll

Ukrainians voted this Sunday in the second round of the presidential election, during which the actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, favorite polls, represents the rejection of traditional politicians symbolized by his rival, the outgoing president Petro Poroshenko.

The polls opened at 5:00 GMT and will close at 17:00 GMT, after which the first polls will be announced. The the official results will be known during the night.

At first, the aspirations of the 41-year-old comedian Volodymyr Zelensky were taken for polls leave no doubt about his favoritism to succeed Petro Poroshenko, your opponent this Sunday.

Zelensky, winner of the first round, led the last polls with a 70% with the intention of voting against Poroshenko, elected five years ago after the flight of a pro-Russian president in the midst of a pro-Western Maidan revolt.

Poroshenko and Zelensky organized a public debate on Friday. The current president hoped to highlight the lack of political experience of the comedian, but the debate degenerated into a mere exchange of insults and personal attacks.

Zelensky's victory would open a new chapter in the history of a country shaken by two great popular rebellions in two decades and divided by a five-year conflict with the separatists of the eastern region.

Ukraine is a country that depends on international aid and Russian energy. The new president will have to negotiate with the Russian leader. Vladimir Poutine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The challenges in Ukraine, a former Soviet republic faced with a situation unprecedented since independence in 1991, are considerable.

When Poroshenko came to power, it was followed by the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia and a war that killed 13,000 people in five years in the east of the country.

For his part, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Friday the candidates to "emphasize their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" and reaffirmed Washington's commitment to "to work with those whom the Ukrainian people choose, whoever it is."

With the exception of the promise to maintain a pro-Western stance, the Zelensky program is unclear, despite the fact that it has been trying in recent days to strengthen its credibility with specialist advisers .

According to Anatoli Otisiuk, of the Democracy House's badysis center, pro-humorist polls testify to the "mistrust" felt by the Ukrainians towards "experienced politicians" because of "permanent scandals of corruption, certain reforms, the decline in the standard of living ". or poverty. "

Poroshenko is in favor of having the support of Western countries, recovery of the army and avoid bankruptcy of the country, one of the poorest of the continent. But no senior official has been found guilty of corruption and the conflict in the East seems at a standstill, with no sign of resolution.

Presenting himself as the only barrier against Putin's Russia, he has not stopped insisting on the risks envisioned for his country.

"An inexperienced actor can not wage a war against the Russian aggressor"Kiev and the Western powers accuse Moscow of militarily supporting the pro-Russian separatists who control part of eastern Ukraine.

For its part, the comedian was not intimidated and used shocking phrases, posing as someone "simple" in front of the "richest president" in the history of the company. 39; Ukraine.

"I am convinced that we can break the system," Zelensky concluded after an hour of debate amid the applause and the boos of thousands of activists on both sides. "I am the result of their mistakes and their promises."