Disappointed with Maidan Revolution, Ukrainian Voters Elect Comedian as President

Today (April 21), a large number of Ukrainian voters went to the polls in the second round of the country's presidential election, with a fierce "boxing match" between the two leading candidates, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and the first round leader, comedian Vlodymyr Zelensky.

This is the first presidential election in Ukraine since the events on Maidan Square, marking a major turning point, a shift from East to West of this European country.

Polling stations across Ukraine officially opened at 8am local time and closed at 8pm. The first exit polls will be released as soon as polling stations close and before preliminary results are announced tonight.

The latest polls ahead of the second round of voting show that candidate Zelensky, a famous comedian in Ukraine, is leading the race, with more than 70% of the votes. According to many analysts, a victory is in Mr. Zelensky's hands, something that was unthinkable nearly 5 months ago when he announced his decision to run for election.

“I feel the sincerity of candidate Zelensky. It is clear that he wants to change this country and let it develop that way,” said one Ukrainian voter.

Another voter said: “Today I am here to make a choice once again. But I also have many doubts: in five years, will my children live in a safe Ukraine that meets all European Union standards in all areas, including education?”

Taking place five years after the events on Maidan Square, which led to the overthrow of the Russian-aligned government and a complete shift to a pro-Western orientation, this election will decide Ukraine's future: whether it continues to look West or returns to the East. However, the results of the first round of elections, as well as opinion polls before the second round of voting, show that Ukrainian voters seem to be disappointed because the "Maidan revolution" in 2014 did not bring the desired results, the country is still facing armed conflict, corruption is still one of the most pressing issues, people's lives are increasingly declining and Ukraine is among the poorest countries in Europe.

According to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe George Tsereteli, this presidential election is “a very important moment for Ukraine” and could change the country.

“This is a very important moment for Ukraine and we can easily see the desire of Ukrainian voters for change. However, it is not true to say that nothing is being done in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has tried to carry out reforms, although the pace of those reforms may not have been as expected by the Ukrainian people or the international community. There are many challenges that hinder the development of this country,” said Mr. Tsereteli.

Relations with Russia are unfinished, while the "dream of moving west" is not progressing, is what people say about Ukraine today.

If Mr. Zelensky, a political newcomer, is elected, this will be the top concern of Western governments. Because besides the commitment to maintain the pro-Western direction applied since 2014, the policy that candidate Zelensky is implementing is still very vague and may be beyond the expectations of Western countries. That is why, right before the final live debate between the two candidates on April 19, both the US and the European Union called on the two candidates to pay attention to the issue of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and once again reiterated their commitment to cooperate with the leader chosen by the Ukrainian people regardless of which candidate wins.

The results of the second round of Ukraine's presidential election are expected to be announced on May 4. The new president of Ukraine will take office before June 3./.