Zelensky retains leadership in the presidential elections in Ukraine after counting 77% of votes

The Central Election Commission of Ukraine continues to process the voting protocols, but the situation is unlikely to change drastically.

Фото: Depositphotos

Interim results of the 2019 elections show Vladimir Zelensky’s confident leadership in the first round. The relevant data from the “Elections” information and analytical system was published on the board Central Election Commission.

According to 14: 00 Kiev time (7: 00 New York), after counting 77% of votes, Vladimir Zelensky scored 30,40%. Petro Poroshenko (16,08%) remains in second place, followed by Yulia Tymoshenko (13,24%). Yuriy Boyko is currently gaining 11,53% votes, Anatoly Gritsenko - 7,05%.

Photo: site screenshot Central Election Commission

At the moment, Zelensky has 4,39 million votes, Poroshenko has 2,32 million. Thus, the gap between the leaders of the race has reached two million votes.

Edition RBC notes that the results of the count show that Poroshenko is in the lead only in the Lviv and Ternopil regions. In the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, the highest result is shown by Yuriy Boyko, Yulia Tymoshenko - only in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The favorite of the first round, Vladimir Zelensky, holds the lead in 19 regions and in Kyiv.

Photo: Twitter screenshot

What is the second round?

The second round of elections will be held on April 21. Petro Poroshenko said that before the second round, he considers it necessary to hold a debate. Zelensky confirmed that he was ready to participate in them, writes Air force.

What will the candidates go to the second round and what will they argue about at the debate? Zelensky in his electoral program emphasized that Ukrainians should be able to set tasks for the authorities through referendums. Poroshenko focused on the entry of Ukraine into the EU and NATO.

Photo: Twitter screenshot

But regarding Russia, both spoke in a similar vein: Poroshenko openly opposed himself to Vladimir Putin, calling himself the most undesirable candidate for the Russian leader. Zelensky admitted that he “simply feels bad” performing in Russia.

Photo: Zelensky press service

How candidates responded to the results

Immediately after the preliminary results of the first round were announced, Poroshenko said that the voters who supported him helped “thwart Moscow’s plan.”

“We, Ukrainians, broke the Russian scenario of the first round, because we definitely didn’t want to see Poroshenko in the second round. Nothing will work out for you, friends and foes from Russia. The Ukrainians will also break the script for you in the second round,” the candidate said.

Photo: Twitter screenshot

Zelensky was equally bellicose. Although understand his chess idea was not easy.

“If I meet Mr. Putin, I will tell him: “Well, finally you have returned our territories. How much more money are you willing to compensate for taking away our territories and helping people who participated in the escalation [of the situation] in Crimea and Donbass, along their entire terrible, disgusting path?” the comedian said in response to a question from journalists.

The reaction in Russia

Neither the Kremlin nor the Russian Foreign Ministry has yet commented on the results of the first round of the Ukrainian presidential election.

Pro-Kremlin commentators from Moscow prefer to focus on the fact that the incumbent president barely broke into the second round.

“Having five years of complete freedom of action and not getting even a fifth of the votes from half of the voters who came to the polls is already a defeat for Poroshenko’s policy,” says Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Committee on International Affairs.

If Zelensky wins in the second round, Moscow and Kyiv have a chance to resume dialogue, says Senator Franz Klintsevich. “Nevertheless, [Zelensky] will still remain a “pig in a poke.” But if he wins, it shouldn’t get any worse, because it can’t get any worse, and chances for dialogue may arise,” Klintsevich said.

Recall that 31 March in Ukraine passed presidential elections. This year a record number of candidates running for presidency is 39. Because of such a large number of candidates, the ballot turned out to be a record in size - 80 centimeters.

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