KIEV, July 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ukrainians started to vote in a snap parliamentary election on Sunday that could consolidate the power of new President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and hand the novice politician a stronger mandate for driving change in the war-scarred nation.
A comedian with no prior policymaking experience, Zelenskiy caused a political earthquake by winning a landslide presidential election victory in April. He cast himself as an everyman outsider who would tackle corruption and raise living standards in one of Europe’s poorest countries.
Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People party, named after the TV comedy where he played a fictional president, has consistently led the opinion polls for the parliamentary vote but might fall short of a majority.
At present, the 41-year-old leader shares power with a cabinet and lawmakers who are mostly loyal to his predecessor.
Zelenskiy announced a snap election on the day he was inaugurated in May.
Servant of the People has held a commanding opinion poll lead over the Russian-friendly Opposition Platform in second place.
Also in the running are the parties headed by the man Zelenskiy beat in April – former president Petro Poroshenko, and that of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. The Voice party, fronted by rock star Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, is seen as a possible coalition ally for Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy has promised to keep the country on a pro-Western course while securing peace in the Donbass region.
He will seek a new aid-for-reforms programme with the International Monetary Fund and has promised crowd-pleasing anti-corruption measures, such as stripping lawmakers of their immunity from prosecution. — NNN-AGENCIES
