UKRAINE has elected comedian Volodymyr Zelensky who stars in a show about a teacher who accidentally becomes president – as its new president.
Here’s what you need to know about the 41-year-old who took nearly three quarters of the vote to triumph over incumbent President Petro Poroshenko.
In a case of life imitating art, Zelensky is best known for his role in the Ukrainian comedy series, Servant of the People about a teacher who accidentally becomes president.
His character is propelled into office after becoming famous for an anti-corruption rant that went viral on social media.
In the presidential election he ran under a political party with the same name as his show.
Zelensky himself has stood on an anti-corruption platform which has tapped into widespread dismay about rising prices and falling living standards.
Initially support for Zelensky was largely seen as a protest vote but his his popularity grew as faith in Poroshenko floundered.
Zelensky was born in 1978 in Krivyi Rih, to Jewish parents in a predominantly Russian-speaking industrial city in southern Ukraine.
He is the first President of Ukraine from a Jewish background.
Zelensky’s path to fame began when he entered a TV talent show aged 17 and then created a comedy outfit called Kvartal 95, which in 2003 began producing shows for a Ukrainian channel.
He became a household name after appearing on the country’s version of Dancing With The Stars in 2006 and began appearing in films in 2008.
Servant of the People first appeared in 2015 and the political party of the same name was founded in March 2018.
The funnyman is a fan of Britain’s Monty Python and Benny Hill and has an entertainment empire is estimated to be worth tens of millions.
Fittingly, Zelensky has adopted an unconventional campaigning style in which he rarely gives big interviews.
As well as promising to root out corruption, he has also vowed to end the war with pro-Russian separatists, which has killed some 13,000 people.
But besides that Zelensky has campaigned on almost no detailed policies.
He has himself also faced accusations of having an unhealthily close working relationship with a powerful oligarch called Ihor Kolomoisky, whose TV channel broadcasts his comedy shows.
Zelenskiy has rejected those accusations.
Declaring victory at his campaign headquarters to emotional supporters he said: “Anything is possible.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.’
