KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The Latest on Ukraine's presidential election (all times local):

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says his apparent poor performance in the country's presidential election is sobering.

Most exit polls show Poroshenko trailing in second place behind comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy with support of 20 percent or less. That would be enough to put him into a runoff with Zelenskiy on April 21.

Poroshenko has said at a news conference after the polls closed that "I don't feel any kind of euphoria. I critically and soberly understand the signal that society gave today to the acting authorities."

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the comedian whom exit polls show leading Ukraine's presidential election, says he has made a major step toward victory.

Exit polls indicated Zelenskiy would get about 30 percent of the vote, far short of the absolute majority needed to win the first round. Most exit polls said incumbent Petro Poroshenko received the second-biggest support, which would put him and Zelenskiy in a runoff on April 21.

Zelenskiy told journalists after the polls closed that "this is only the first step toward a great victory."

He denied that his campaign would coordinate with the forces of any of the other 37 candidates on the first-round ballot.

He said that "we are young people. We don't want to see all of the past in our future."

Ukrainian presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko is disputing several exit polls that showed her failing to get enough support in Sunday's election to qualify for a runoff.

Several exit polls showed comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy and incumbent Petro Poroshenko as the top two vote-getters. The polls indicated Zelenskiy would get about 30 percent of the votes, ahead of Poroshenko but far away from the 50 percent needed to win in the first round.

However, Tymoshenko's campaign staff said its own exit polling showed her handily in second place.

At a news conference after the polls closed, Tymoshenko called on her supporters to head to polling stations to ensure an honest count.

An exit poll shows comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the lead in Ukraine's presidential election but his support is well short of the majority needed to win in the first round.

The exit poll released Sunday after voting stations closed indicated that Zelenskiy received about 30.4 percent of the nationwide vote, followed by incumbent President Petro Poroshenko with 17.8 percent and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko with 14.2 percent support.

The poll conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology and the Razumkov Center public opinion organization was based on nearly 18,000 responses to questioning at some 400 polling places as of 6 p.m., two hours before the polls closed. The poll claims a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.

A runoff between the top two candidates in the race will take place on April 21.

Ukrainian police say they have received more than 1,600 complaints about electoral violations in the presidential election.

A statement Sunday by Ukraine's Interior Ministry on Facebook said the complaints had been received by 6 p.m., two hours before polling stations were to close.

It said the reported violations included unauthorized campaigning at polling stations, attempts to bribe voters and removal of ballots.

Opinion polls have shown Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who stars in a TV sitcom about a teacher who becomes president after a video of him denouncing corruption goes viral, leading a field of 39 candidates in the presidential race.

The polls also had Zelenskiy outpacing incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the other top candidates, by a broad margin

Ukrainian citizens living in Poland are lining up to vote in their country's presidential election.

It is the first Ukrainian election since the arrival in recent years of large numbers of Ukrainian workers and students seeking higher wages and better opportunities in the neighboring European Union country.

People lined up at the embassy in Warsaw and at three other consular points across Poland on Sunday and cast their ballots, choosing from a field of 39 candidates.

Igor Isajew, editor of a news portal for Ukrainians in Poland, PROstir.pl, said that many other Ukrainians in Poland remain unable to vote because they live too far from the polling stations.

While there are no opinion polls tapping into the views of Ukrainians in Poland, Isajew sees signs that a higher percentage of Ukrainians in Poland than in Ukraine favor incumbent Petro Poroshenko due to his pro-European credentials, despite corruption allegations.

Voters in Ukraine are casting ballots in a presidential election after a campaign that produced a comedian with no political experience as the front-runner and allegations of voter bribery.

Opinion polls have shown Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who stars in a TV sitcom about a teacher who becomes president after a video of him denouncing corruption goes viral, leading a field of 39 candidates. The polls also had Zelenskiy outpacing incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the other top candidates, by a broad margin.

Voter Tatiana Zinchenko, 30, cast her ballot for the comedian. She says "Zelenskiy has shown us on the screen what a real president should be like."

If no candidate secures an absolute majority of Sunday's vote, a runoff between the two top finishers would be held April 21.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The Latest on Ukraine’s presidential election (all times local): 4:35 p.m. Election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have hailed Ukraine’s presidential election as competitive and free…

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The Latest on Ukraine’s presidential election (all times local):

Election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have hailed Ukraine’s presidential election as competitive and free overall.

The OSCE observation mission said in a statement that voters “had a broad choice” at the polls and that the candidates “could campaign freely.” The observers said they have a positive assessment of the election day and expect it to be the case at the impending runoff.

Preliminary results show comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy winning the first round with more than 30 percent of the vote while the incumbent President Petro Poroshenko trails behind. The two are expected to face off in the second round of voting on April 21.

Early results in Ukraine’s presidential election show a comedian with no political experience maintaining his strong lead against the incumbent president in the first round, setting the stage for a runoff in three weeks.

With just over half of the polling stations counted Monday, Volodomyr Zelenskiy had 30.2 percent of the vote, while incumbent President Petro Poroshenko was a distant second with about 16.6 percent. Ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko trailed behind with 13 percent. The results were in sync with a top exit poll.

The strong showing of Zelenskiy reflects the public longing for a fresh leader who has no links to the corruption-ridden Ukrainian political elite and can offer a new approach to settling the grinding conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> March 31 (UPI) -- Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy sat at the top of exit polls as Ukrainians voted in presidential elections Sunday.

The 41-year-old television actor held 29.25 percent of the vote, while current President Petro Poroshenko, 53, was second with 19.19 percent, as 63.92 percent of all registered voters cast their ballots, the Kyiv Post reported.

Neither candidate emerged from the field of 39 entrants with more than 50 percent of the vote, prompting a second round of voting between the top two candidates on April 21.

Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, 58, trailed behind the pair with 13.75 percent. Tymoshenko told reporters at her campaign headquarters that her campaign exit poll predicted she came second with 20.9 percent.

Zelenskiy, who stars in a satirical TV show about a citizen who becomes president by fighting corruption, has captivated the attention of the country's young voters by campaigning largely through social media and eschewing traditional outlets such as rallies and interviews.

He has also gained support amid conflicts over language rights by readily speaking Russian and Ukrainian.

Poroshenko has run on the slogan "Army, Language, Faith" and has attributed his support of the military for keeping separatists in check.

He also negotiated an Association Agreement with the EU, including visa-free travel for Ukrainians during his time in office.

Tymoshenko had previously played a role in Ukraine's first effort to align with the EU in 2004, when she served as prime minister.

Amid efforts to fulfill requirements to tighten Ukraine's relationship with the European Union and conflict between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists, the three leading candidates have embraced pro-EU stances while no pro-Russian candidates are expected to contend. </s> Preparations continue for the scheduled debate between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his challenger, the comic actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Zelenskiy and Poroshenko are now due to face off in a question-and-answer format at Kyiv's Olimpiyskiy Stadium on April 19, just two days before the runoff vote on April 21.

Opinion polls show Zelenskiy with a comfortable lead over Poroshenko, whom many Ukrainians blame for the slow pace of reform and failure to tackle corruption during his five-year term.

Zelenskiy, who stars on a TV comedy series about a teacher who becomes president after denouncing corruption, won nearly twice as many votes as Poroshenko in the first round, on March 31.

The two candidates had agreed to a debate, but not on details, such as when.

Poroshenko showed up at Olimpiyskiy Stadium on April 14, insisting the debate would take place then.

Zelenskiy did not appear, and Poroshenko ended up holding a rally there with supporters.

Now, both camps say the two candidates will meet at the 70,000-seat stadium on April 19, according to a report by the AFP news agency.

The Zelenskiy team is promoting the event on social media, encouraging the public to be "witness to an event that will go down in the history of Ukraine," according to AFP.

The two men took drug tests earlier this month at Zelenskiy's insistence in a campaign that has been marked by theatrics on both sides.

Poroshenko's campaign team said on April 17 that supporters will be bussed in for free for the event, according to Interfax.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said a crowd of "up to 60,000" was expected to attend the debate, adding he would be discussing security matters with representatives of both candidates.

His comments on April 17 come after Ukrainian authorities announced they had captured a Russian military intelligence hit squad responsible for the attempted murder of a Ukrainian military spy ahead of the presidential runoff.

The issue of how to deal with Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and backs separatists in eastern Ukraine, is prominent ahead of the vote, with Poroshenko casting himself as the commander in chief Ukraine needs to defend the country.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS </s> Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy heading for victory in first round of Ukrainian election

Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy heading for victory in first round of Ukrainian election

Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy is heading for victory in the first round of the Ukrainian election

A comedian looks set to win the first round of voting in Ukraine's presidential election.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 41, who plays a fictional TV president, had 30.4% after votes, after nearly 70% of the country's polling stations were counted.

The current president, Petro Poroshenko, was trailing in second with just over 16% and Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister, was third on 13%.

With none of the candidates likely to secure more than half of the votes, the election is likely to go to a second round on 21 April, where Ukrainians will choose between the top two candidates.

"This is only the first step toward a great victory," Mr Zelenskiy said.

Full results are expected to be announced later on Monday.

The three were among 39 candidates in a country that faces issues including widespread corruption, a faltering economy and a seemingly endless war with Russian-backed separatists in the country's east.

Ukraine is also subject to a bailout programme run by the International Monetary Fund, and investors will want to know that any new president will continue reforms required to keep this on track.

Mr Zelenskiy, 41, is new to politics but found fame on TV playing a teacher who becomes president after a video of him denouncing corruption goes viral.

During his presidential campaign, Mr Zelenskiy said he wanted to develop the economy and attract investment through "a restart of the judicial system".

He also proposed a tax amnesty and a 5% flat tax for big business which could be increased "in dialogue with them and if everyone will agree".

As he cast his own vote on Sunday, Mr Zelenskiy said: "A new life is beginning, a normal life, a life without corruption, without bribes - life in a new country, the country of our dreams."

Later, he denied he would join forces with any of the other candidates, saying: "We are young people - we don't want to see all of the past in our future."

However, the election's first round was marred by more than 1,600 complaints about unauthorised campaigning at polling stations, attempts to bribe voters and the removal of ballot papers.

Incumbent Mr Poroshenko insisted the elections were fair, adding that this was "a necessary condition for our movement forward, to Ukraine's return to the European family of nations".

Regarding the exit poll result, he said: "I critically and soberly understand the signal that society gave today to the acting authorities."

Ms Tymoshenko said the exit poll contradicted her own internal polling, which had her in second place, adding that she might contest the final result. </s> The top two candidates in Sunday’s presidential poll, a comedian and a senior politician, will face each other in a runoff on April 21, Ukraine’s election authority said Thursday.

SECOND ROUND IN THE VOTE

Vladimir Zelenskiy, who has played the president on a popular TV show, got 30.24 percent of the vote, while Petro Poroshenko, the country’s current actual president, got about half of that,15.95 percent, according to the country's Central Election Commission. As no candidate got 50 percent of the vote, with all the votes counted, the nation’s next president will be chosen in a runoff.

On Sunday, former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko came in third with 13.40 percent, opposition leader Yuriy Boyko was fourth with 11.67 percent, and former Defense Minister Anatoly Gritsenko was fifth with 6.91 percent.

Commenting on the results, Timoshenko criticized both Zelenskiy and Poroshenko, saying neither can address Ukraine’s problems, but declined to appeal the vote results and pledged to help whoever wins.

Since pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych left office in February 2014, Ukraine has faced a host of problems, including Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in March and a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, near the border with Russia. </s> KIEV, Ukraine — Ukrainians awoke on April Fools’ Day to the reality of a comedian on the verge of taking over as commander in chief.

Volodymyr Zelensky, a 41-year-old entertainer who plays the president in a popular sitcom, carried 30 percent of the vote in the first round of Ukraine’s real-life presidential election, according to preliminary results Monday morning with more than half the ballots counted.

Zelensky will face the second-place finisher — most likely incumbent President Petro Poroshenko — in a runoff vote on April 21. Zelensky’s win was even stronger than many surveys leading up to Sunday’s vote had predicted. It amounted to a breathtaking rebuke of Ukraine’s establishment by a political novice and millions of voters.

“I am so incredibly thankful to you all,” Zelensky said in a video message to his 3 million Instagram followers. “You may think you’re somewhere out there on the Internet, and we are somewhere far away, but we are all in one life, together.”

Poroshenko appeared on track to eke out a second-place win over his longtime rival, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Poroshenko had about 17 percent of the vote, and Tymoshenko won 13 percent, according to the preliminary tally from Ukraine’s Central Election Commission with 52 percent of ballots counted.

Tymoshenko said Sunday night that she was convinced she had in fact won second place and would be carrying out her own parallel vote count. But Poroshenko was already training his guns on Zelensky, who he suggested would sell out Ukraine’s interests to the Kremlin. Zelensky has said he’d be willing to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin to find a way to end the war with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

“From this very minute, we need the total mobilization of all Ukrainian patriots,” Poroshenko said after the polls closed Sunday. “No one has the right to leave the country’s fate up to those who are casting their votes, as they say, as a joke. The jokes are over.”

In a case of life imitating art — or in this case, Netflix — Zelensky’s only claim to presidential experience is that he plays a commander in chief in a popular television series, “Servant of the People.”

His character, Vasyl Petrovych Holoborodko, is a simple but upright schoolteacher, who is unexpectedly catapulted to the presidency and tackles the country’s venal oligarch class.

Among Zelensky’s supporters, the series’ message resonates that honesty among politicians should trump all other considerations, and that he himself in real life is seen to be decent and corruption-free.

“He’s young, progressive and is different from everything that’s come before,” said Katerina Tarasiuk, a 31-year-old real estate agent in Kiev who voted for Zelensky despite her concerns about his lack of political experience. “He’s a businessman and has proven himself in a lot of other areas.”

While Zelensky has focused his campaign on fighting corruption, Poroshenko has cast his candidacy for a second five-year term as an act of resistance against Russian aggression. His campaign revolved around strengthening the military, the Ukrainian language, and a Ukrainian Orthodox Church independent from Moscow. Only with him, Poroshenko argued to voters, could Ukraine continue to build closer ties to Western institutions such as the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Poroshenko signaled Sunday he was ready to escalate his attacks on Zelensky. He cast the comedian as a puppet of Ihor Kolomoisky, who controls the TV channel that airs Zelensky’s sitcom. Kolomoisky and Zelensky both deny that Kolomoisky is behind the comedian’s political ambitions.

“On April 21, we will either confirm our movement toward the E.U. and NATO, or we’ll turn back,” Poroshenko said. “I would like to remind everyone that this is not a joke. This is the election of the commander in chief.”

‘Parallel universe’: The front-runner seeking to be Ukraine’s president plays one on TV

‘Everything is bad’: Ukraine on edge in election with untested comedian as front-runner

Meet Mostik: Russia’s celebrity cat and the unofficial mascot for annexed Crimea

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news </s> Ukrainians are heading to the polls on Sunday to vote in the first round of presidential elections.

Current leader Petro Poroshenko is seeking re-election but the surprise front runner is comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Both candidates, along with former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, have expressed largely pro-European views during campaigning.

None of the pro-Russian candidates are seen as serious contenders.

If no candidate gets more than 50% on Sunday, the top two will fight it out in a second round on 21 April.

A total of 39 candidates are on the ballot paper, but only the three front-runners are considered to have any chance of victory.

The Ukrainian president has significant powers over security, defence and foreign policy and the ex-Soviet republic's system is described as semi-presidential.

Mr Poroshenko, one of Ukraine's wealthiest oligarchs, was elected in a snap vote after former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was toppled in the February 2014 Maidan Revolution, which was followed by Russia's annexation of Crimea and a Russian-backed insurgency in the east.

The next president will inherit a deadlocked conflict between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists in the east, while Ukraine strives to fulfil EU requirements for closer economic ties.

The EU says that about 12% of Ukraine's 44 million people are disenfranchised, largely those who live in Russia and in Crimea, which Russia annexed in March 2014.

Who are the main candidates?

Mr Zelenskiy, 41, is aiming to turn his satirical TV show - in which he portrays an ordinary citizen who becomes president after fighting corruption - into reality.

He is polling at about 25%, is seen as appealing to younger voters. His campaign has made extensive use of social media.

President Poroshenko, 53, aims to appeal to conservative Ukrainians through his slogan "Army, Language, Faith".

He says his backing for the military has helped keep the separatists in eastern Ukraine in check. He also negotiated an Association Agreement with the EU, including visa-free travel for Ukrainians. During his tenure the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has become independent of Russian control.

However his campaign has been dogged by corruption allegations, including a scandal over defence procurement, which erupted last month.

The third most popular candidate, according to opinion polls, is Yulia Tymoshenko, 58, who has served as prime minister and ran for president in 2010 and 2014. She played a leading role in the 2004 Orange Revolution, Ukraine's first big push to ally itself with the EU.

The front-runner among the pro-Russian candidates, Yuriy Boyko, says he would "normalise" relations with Russia. </s> KIEV – The headquarters of presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko of the Batkivshchyna Party accused the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) of falsifications and provocations during the elections, the deputy head of the party said on Sunday, March 31.

FRN reminds readers that yesterday, in breaking news, Poroshenko ordered the SBU and special forces of the police, to seize control of the polling stations.

Only the top two candidates will go into the run-off, but Tymoshenko and Zelensky were leading ahead of Poroshenko according to various (and all) polls when voting began today.

Then, throughout the day, Poroshenko received ‘unknown support’ from mystery voters, and surged ahead of Tymoshenko in exit polling.

At the headquarters of “Batkivschyna” they said that they would conduct their vote count, and that Tymoshenko is entering the second round of presidential elections. This was also reported by the presidential candidate herself during a speech broadcast on her Facebook page .

According to Tymoshenko, her party will fight for each protocol and for the votes of each voter.

According to the headquarters, Vladimir Zelensky scored 27% of the vote, Tymoshenko was supported by 20.9% of the voters, and 17.5% of the voters voted for the current president. But that figure is contrary to the official count (below) which will see Zelensky square off with Poroshenko in the April 21st elections.

“Based on preliminary data, we believe that this gives grounds for at least a 2 to 3% increase in our candidate Yulia Tymoshenko,” the headquarters noted.

On March 31st, the first round of presidential elections was held in Ukraine; 39 candidates fought for the highest state post. The head of the party “Servant of the People”, Vladimir Zelensky, leads exit polls. For him, their votes cast 30.4% of voters. It is followed by the current president Petro Poroshenko (16–17%) and the leader of the Opposition Platform – For Life, Yuriy Boyko (14–15.5%).

In the second round, which is scheduled for April 21, Zelensky and Poroshenko will square off.

Observers recorded multiple violations committed during the voting process. In Lugansk , an illegal surge of votes was recorded, and the British ambassador in Kiev, Judith Gough, publicly violated the country’s electoral legislation. Earlier in the day, a similar incident occurred with presidential candidate Oleg Lyashko.

The CEC of Ukraine refused to recognize the systemic nature of the violations and stated that “isolated cases” are classic for all votes.
Voters in Ukraine go to the polls today in the first round of the presidential election. President Petro Poroshenko is seeking re-election, with comedian Volodymyr Zelensky and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko the primary challengers. All three have expressed largely pro-European views. Former Vice Prime Minister Yuriy Boyko is the front-runner among the pro-Russian candidates. A total of 39 candidates are on the ballot, increasing the probability no candidate will win more than 50 percent of the votes. If so, the top two will meet in a second round on 21 April.