Comedian, screenwriter and actor, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a political novice who plays a fictional president in a popular TV series, is leading in Ukraine’s presidential election race, according to an opinion poll published on Thursday.

The poll by research body Reiting showed Zelenskiy on 57.9 per cent of votes and incumbent Petro Poroshenko on 21.7 percent.

Reiting polled 3,000 voters in all regions, except annexed Crimea, from April 12 to 16.

The previous poll made by Reiting in April 5-10 gave Zelenskiy 61 percent of votes while Poroshenko received 24 percent.

Poroshenko and Zelenskiy will meet in the second round of Ukraine’s presidential election, which will take place on April 21. Zelenskiy won nearly twice as many votes as Poroshenko in the first round, on March 31.

(Reuters)