31 March

Ukrainian voters will go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president from a record 39 candidates.

The latest public opinion survey shows 41-year-old Volodymyr Zelenskiy is leading the race with a support rating of over 27 percent. He's a TV personality with no political experience. President Petro Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko are following with around 16 percent support.

Poroshenko was elected president in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea. He maintains pro-Western and anti-Russian policies. However, his support rate has declined due to a prolonged conflict with separatists in the eastern region and a series of corruption scandals in his government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped up his criticism of Poroshenko during the election campaign, despite his official position of not meddling in the election in the neighboring country. Russia experts say he is hoping to see Poroshenko lose. If no candidate wins a clear majority, a runoff election with the top two candidates will be held.

Vote counting starts immediately after the polling stations close on Sunday. A preliminary result could be known as early as late Sunday.—NHK