Jewish comedian is leading candidate in Ukrainian presidential election

Dubbed the “Ukrainian Donald Trump,” Volodymyr Zelensky could become the next president of Ukraine.

By World Israel News Staff

A 41-year-old Jewish comedian is likely to win the Ukrainian presidential election on March 31, polls indicate.

Volodymyr Zelensky plays Vasyl Petrovych Holoborodko, a 30-something history teacher who becomes Ukraine’s president in his popular TV show, “Servant of the People,” after a viral video shows him ranting against government corruption.

Recent polls give Zelensky 25 percent of the vote, with a 10-point lead over incumbent Petro Poroshenko and political veteran Yulia Timoshenko, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.

Six months before he announced his candidacy on December 31, opinion polls already showed him in the lead.

The territorial conflict with Russia is the most serious issue among voters, the polls showed, with bribery and corruption ranking second, according to JTA.

Journalists have begun calling Zelensky the “Ukrainian Donald Trump.”

Born to Jewish parents, Zelensky, who studied law but did not practise, has reportedly not referred to his Jewish heritage in interviews.

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