A Comedian Plays Ukraine's President On TV. Will He Become One In Real Life?

Ukrainians are so fed up with their politicians that many are seeking political relief from a TV comic in presidential elections taking place this weekend.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy's only connection to politics is the role he plays in a hit TV series about a man who accidentally becomes Ukraine's president. Now, the real-life Zelenskiy, 41, is the unexpected leader in opinion polls, which consistently show him winning up to 25 percent of the vote.

The incumbent, President Petro Poroshenko, is struggling for second place against veteran politician Yulia Tymoshenko, who has served twice as prime minister. None of the 39 presidential hopefuls are expected to win an outright majority, meaning the top two candidates in Sunday's vote are likely to go on to a runoff election on April 21.

"Every Ukrainian has his own idea of who Zelenskiy is," said Ivan Yakovina, a political commentator in Kiev. "He's giving an opportunity to imagine the best presidential candidate ever. That's why he's so popular here."