Last laugh: Meet the Ukraine comedian who became presidentMANILA, Philippines — Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky had already been inaugurated as president of Ukraine -- as a character in the popular TV show "Servant of the People.”The 41-year-old performer has now taken on the role for real, following a long-shot campaign that sent establishment candidates tumbling amid popular discontent with the political class amid poverty and corruption. In his inauguration speech on Monday, he took a tough line, immediately calling the dissolution of a hostile parliament and declaring his top priority is a ceasefire in Ukraine's conflict with Moscow-armed separatists in the east. "I think we will see a new, unusual president," political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said. The diminutive performer, from the industrial city of Krivy Rig in central Ukraine, is a dollar millionaire. RELATED: Ukraine inaugurates comedian Zelensky as president

Source: Philippine Star May 22, 2019 05:10 UTC