Ukrainian Comedian Confirms Presidential Run

Kiev, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jan, 2019 ) :A Ukrainian comedian who once played the country's president in a tv series confirmed Monday he would run for head of state in an unpredictable election set for March.

"Today, the first serious congress of the Servant of the People Party took place," Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Facebook video that showed him with dozens of cheering supporters gathered around a table with pizza and drinks.

Zelensky, 40, won fans with his portrayal of the country's leader in a sitcom called Sluga Narodu (Servant of the People).

But it was no joke when he first announced on New Year's Eve he would seek to challenge incumbent Petro Poroshenko.

Zelensky's party, which is also called Servant of the People and was registered only a year ago, confirmed Monday that he would stand as their candidate.

Poroshenko, whose government is locked in a conflict with Moscow-backed insurgents in the industrial east, currently trails former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in opinion polls.

Despite the lighthearted feel of Zelensky's bid, his long-shot campaign has struck a chord with voters tired of corruption and the slow pace of reforms.

Zelensky currently has 8.8 percent support according to the latest polls, putting him in third place behind Poroshenko on 13.8 percent and Tymoshenko on 16 percent.

His supporters, mainly young people, say it is time for an outsider to refresh the country's political system and hail him as a "Ukrainian Reagan".

Critics meanwhile highlight Zelensky's lack of experience and point to the comic's ties to billionaire and Poroshenko foe Igor Kolomoisky, who is an owner of the television channel where Zelensky is a star.