Exit poll shows Jewish comedian defeating Ukrainian president

“I am leaving office, but I want to firmly underline that I am not leaving politics,” the incumbent president said after exit polls gave Volodymyr Zelensky a decisive lead.

By Associated Press

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is accepting defeat in the election for the country’s top post.

An exit poll from Ukraine’s presidential election is giving Jewish comedian Volodymyr Zelensky – who plays a high school teacher ranting about government corruption who is elected president on a TV series – a commanding lead over Poroshenko.

Results from the exit poll released Sunday after voting stations closed showed Zelensky receiving 73.2% of the nationwide vote; Poroshenko got 25.3%.

The poll, conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology and the Razumkov Center public opinion organization, was based on more than 13,000 responses to face-to-face questions at 300 polling places as of 6 p.m., two hours before the polls closed.

The poll claims a margin of error of three percentage points.

Shortly after the  poll results were published, Poroshenko said he was willing to help his rival transition into the presidency.

“I am leaving office, but I want to firmly underline that I am not leaving politics,” Poroshenko said.