Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comedian whose only political experience consists of playing a president in a TV series, has won a landslide victory in Ukraine's presidential election.

Key points: Volodymyr Zelenskiy has a law degree, but made his career in entertainment

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has a law degree, but made his career in entertainment He ran under a political party with the same name as the TV series in which he played the president

He ran under a political party with the same name as the TV series in which he played the president Mr Zelenskiy relied on viral videos, stand-up comedy gigs and jokes in his campaign

The stunning result for the 41-year-old, who secured nearly three-quarters of the votes, is a bitter blow for incumbent Petro Poroshenko who tried to rally Ukrainians around the flag by casting himself as a bulwark against Russian aggression.

Mr Zelenskiy is set to take the reins of a country that is facing several challenges left behind by Mr Poroshenko, including a sputtering economy and an ongoing war against Russian-backed separatists that has so far killed some 13,000 people.

His victory also follows a pattern of anti-establishment figures unseating incumbents in Europe and further afield, such as former international cricket star turned Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

But who is this dark horse candidate? And how did someone who never even held a political post win by such a large margin?

Who is Volodymyr Zelenskiy?

Volodymyr Zelenskiy was criticized for a vague campaign platform and never holding public office but voters appeared to cast aside those concerns. ( AP: Emilio Morenatti )

Mr Zelenskiy — who holds a law degree — has mainly only ever worked as an entertainer since he was a teenager.

However, he is best known for his role in the popular 2015 Ukrainian television series Servant of the People, in which he plays a high school teacher who becomes president after a video of him denouncing corruption goes viral.

The lines between fiction and reality were blurred further in March 2018, when staff from Mr Zelenskiy's television production company registered Servant of the People as a political party — a party under which he later ran.

Months before Mr Zelenskiy announced his candidacy on New Year's Eve, he was already leading opinion polls across the country.

"Unlike our great politicians, I did not want to make promises in vain," he joked, according to local media reports.

"But now, just a few minutes before the New Year, I can promise you I'll do it in the right way."

Mr Poroshenko was unable to debate Mr Zelenskiy, because he failed to show up to their debate. ( AP: Efrem Lukatsky )

During the campaign he quickly doubled down, railing against corruption — just like he did in the long-running satirical drama — and channelled his on-screen persona.

Mr Poroshenko dismissed Mr Zelenskiy as a "virtual rival" when he failed to turn up to a debate earlier last week, forcing the incumbent to talk next to an empty lectern.

But Mr Zelenskiy's popularity has only continued to rise, highlighting an underlying desire in Ukraine for new politics and fresh faces.

Viral videos and stand-up routines — what about policy?

Voters appeared to cast aside concerns of Mr Zelenskiy never previously holding public office. ( AP: Vadim Ghirda )

While Mr Zelenskiy has often played up his TV persona and harnessed popularity through viral videos, jokes and stand-up routines, he has also been nudging at his political agenda, which analysts have slammed as being largely non-existent.

Mr Zelenskiy has broadly promised to end the war in the eastern Donbass region and to root out corruption amid widespread dismay over rising prices and sliding living standards.

Over the weekend, he also said he hoped to continue European-backed talks with Russia on a so far largely unimplemented peace deal and would try to free 170 Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia, which is holding 24 Ukrainian sailors among others.

Other than this, he has so far given little information about his exact policies about the sputtering economy or how he will handle Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Some outlets however have attempted to collate various comments by Mr Zelenskiy and his advisors about how he might approach certain issues, but sticking with the country's IMF program, fighting corruption and ending the conflict in Eastern Ukraine with help from the United States and the United Kingdom seem to be key.

Why did Ukrainians choose Zelenskiy over Poroshenko?

Ukraine has been rocked in recent years by a separatist war, conflict with Russia and internal protests. ( AP: Efrem Lukatsky )

In an interview earlier this year Mr Zelenskiy said that he saw the prospects as "more than a duty" and felt a need to fill the "vacuum" in the political sphere as trust in politicians falls apart.

Some analysts have speculated it could be Mr Zelenskiy's Jewish heritage that got him elected, as now Ukraine will be the first country besides Israel to have both a Jewish prime minister and president — although other commentators have been quick to shoot down this idea.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko conceded defeat following exit poll results. ( AP: Efrem Lukatsky )

According to the BBC, analysts believe Mr Zelensky's informal style and vow to clean up Ukrainian politics resonated with voters who are disillusioned with the country's path under Mr Poroshenko.

Under Mr Poroshenko — who took office just as Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and a month before flight MH17 was shot down — tensions with the Kremlin have been at their highest in years.

However, many note that Mr Poroshenko — a billionaire chocolate magnate — continued to sell his Roshen company's confectionary across the border with Russia all the while.

"Why is your chocolate sold in Moscow?" Mr Zelenskiy asked during a high-stakes debate before the weekend.

However, there have also been concerns that Mr Zelenskiy has ties to controversial oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky, but he has denied that he is a puppet for the mogul.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 7 minutes 7 seconds 7 m Editor Maria Romanenko on Ukraine's unlikely new president ( Yvonne Yong )

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