Zelenskiy met with advisers to discuss political prospects

Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy has met with political
advisers to discuss his campaigns for the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections,
the pravda.com.ua news site reported on Oct. 26. They proposed traditional
approaches to the elections, which didn’t suit Zelenskiy, the article said.

“Do I have thoughts about political life? Yes, there
are thoughts. In theory, I have thoughts. But it’s too early to talk about
either of the two political races. I have a lot of work,” Zelenskiy said in an
exchange on WhatsApp, the article said, without citing the date of his
comments.

The article linked Zelenskiy to billionaire oligarch
Igor Kolomoisky, who is among President Poroshenko’s biggest opponents.
Kolomoisky’s 1+1 television network broadcasts Zelenskiy’s weekly comedy show.
Kolomoisky also has a political alliance with former Prime Minister Yulia
Tymoshenko, the current leader in the presidential elections, the article
mentioned.

Among presidential candidates, Zelenskiy has 11.8%
support, compared to 19.3% for former political prisoner Yulia Tymoshenko and
11.9% for President Poroshenko, according to a poll released on Sept. 26 by the
Kyiv International Institute for Sociology. His party, the People’s Servant,
would earn 8.2%, or sixth place, according to the same poll.

Zenon Zawada: In the
presidential elections scheduled for March 2019, Zelenskiy’s biggest impact
will be in drawing votes away from President Poroshenko. He can appeal to the
electorate of Ukraine’s southeastern regions to discourage them from voting for
the president. But Zelenskiy is highly unlikely to qualify for the second-round
runoff, despite recent strong poll results.

Any party headlined by Zelenskiy has high potential
not only to qualify for parliament (5% of the vote is needed), but also to
secure among the larger factions. He has particular appeal among
Western-oriented Ukrainians in the southeastern regions, which have typically
been dominated by Russian-oriented politicians.