Last New Year’s Eve, actor and showman Vladimir Zelensky addressed the audience on the 1 + 1 channel. He announced his participation in the presidential election, which will be held in Ukraine on March 31, 2019. Three weeks later, the party "Servant of the People" created by him officially nominated Zelensky as a candidate for the country's main state post. Showman’s political ambitions weren’t new to voters. Moreover, opinion polls show his high ratings and good chances of winning.
From KVN to politics
Vladimir Zelensky turned 40 years old in 2018. He is the new face of Ukrainian politics, and is well known and loved by the people. He started by participating in the KVN with the team “Zaporozhye - Krivoy Rog - Transit”, then he created his own team “95th Quarter”. In 2003 Zelensky and his comrades left KVN and began speaking on Ukrainian channels 1 + 1 and Inter. Their author’s TV show “Evening Quarter” was a huge success in Ukraine. At the same time, "Quarter 95 Studio" was created, which is engaged in the production and production of television shows, series, and films.
For Russian viewers Zelensky was remembered for his roles in the films “Love in the Big City”, “8 First Dates”, as well as in the sequels of these movie stories. The production project of Kvartal Studios 95 - the series “Matchmakers” - became a real hit.
Until recently, the Ukrainian comedian did not even think about politics. For the first time, questions about Zelensky’s presidential ambitions began to appear after the release of the series “Servant of the People”, where he played school teacher Vasily Goloborodko, who became president of Ukraine. The actor first answered evasively to questions about the realization of this plot in life, assuring that he was pleased with his work in the show business. However, active participation in the political life of the country and a number of high-profile statements allowed Ukrainian voters to seriously consider Zelensky’s candidacy as future president. Then he himself could not stay away for a long time and officially declared himself in the political arena of Ukraine.
Political Views
Zelensky supported the change of political power in Ukraine in 2014. He sided with the new authorities and during the hostilities in the Donbass, spoke to the Ukrainian military, openly mocking Russia and its allies of the DPR and LPR. The press widely covered the generous donation of one million hryvnias, which Studio Quarter 95 handed over to the needs of the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine.
Moreover, the actions of the official authorities did not always find support in the person of Zelensky. In particular, he was indignant over the ban on the series “Matchmakers” and at first rejected the idea of restricting the entry of Russian cultural figures into the country. On the air of the author’s television programs Zelensky was not afraid to criticize the current government, and judging by the high ratings on television, his words resonated among ordinary Ukrainians.
In a recent interview, a comedian and showman, boldly stepping into big politics, compared the stay in power of Petro Poroshenko with the advertised film, which was praised and extolled before the screens, and as a result, viewers saw a mediocre movie. In addition, in a conversation with journalist Dmitry Gordon, Zelensky first voiced his position on many key issues:
- it is time to negotiate with Russia about the Donbass, which does not exclude meetings and conversations with Putin;
- the process of abandoning the Russian language in Ukraine should proceed gradually, without forcible “burning out”;
- Nevertheless, it is better not to let Russian artists supporting Putin into the country;
- the decommunization of Ukrainian history and culture is necessary;
- supports autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, although he himself prefers to communicate with God “without intermediaries”;
- He does not see the need for speedy entry into NATO and the EU.
