KIEV, April 12. /TASS/. Unusual candidates such as comedian Vladimir Zelensky, who entered Ukraine’s presidential runoff, are nothing new for European countries, Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko said at a press conference following talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Friday.
"There is nothing special about unusual politicians achieving certain success, we have seen it in some European countries," Poroshenko said.
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He made it clear that he did not think he had lost to Zelenksy in the first round of the presidential election. "Two candidates have made it into the runoff, and Pyotr Poroshenko is one of them. In my view, the Ukrainian people have made a choice that needs to be respected," he said.
At the same time, Poroshenko once again called Zelensky "a virtual candidate."
The Ukrainian presidential election was held on March 31. Leader of the Servant of the People political party Vladimir Zelensky is in the lead with 30.24% of the vote, followed by incumbent President Pyotr Poroshenko, who garnered 15.95%. Since none of the candidates managed to get more than 50% of the vote, the top two are headed towards a runoff scheduled to take place on April 21.