Is Zelenskyy up to the president’s job?
Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy wins landslide anti-establishment victory in Ukrainian election.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy played a fictional president for years. Now he is going to be it for real.
But stand-up comedy is one thing, standing up to Russia and the myriad of other problems facing Ukraine is another thing altogether.
Outgoing President Petro Poroshenko says Zelenskyy is too naive for hard politics.
But it is dissatisfaction with old faces like Poroshenko that has probably benefitted the comedian.
He has campaigned on an anti-establishment, anti-corruption platform.
And that seems to have resounded with his supporters. Zelenskyy won with more than 70 percent of the vote.
But with no previous political experience how will he tackle the many challenges ahead?
Presenter: Imran Khan
Guests:
Valentin Yakushik – professor of political science at the National University of Kiev-Mohyla Academy
Uly Brueckner – Jean Monnet professor in European Studies at Stanford University, Berlin
Dmitry Babich – political analyst at Rossiya Segodnya news agency