Zelensky party wins absolute majority in Ukraine parliament vote – media

KIEV, Ukraine – The party of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky won an absolute majority in parliamentary elections with a record share of the vote, according to partial results and media projections Monday, July 22.

The comedian-turned-president’s Servant of the People party had around 42% of the vote, well ahead of its nearest rival on just over 12%, with 44%of votes counted, the results showed.

Media projections showed this puts the party on track to pick up more than half the parliament’s 450 seats.

Zelensky won a landslide victory in a presidential election in April and his party’s showing at the weekend election is the best of any party in Ukraine’s post-Soviet history.

Four other parties – including one openly supported by the Kremlin – passed the 5% threshold to enter the assembly, the results showed.

Faced with a hostile parliament after his win, Zelensky quickly called snap elections and vowed to bring in a new generation of politicians to lead the country.

The result of those polls will bring a host of newcomers into parliament and government.

They will face a long list of challenges in a country heavily dependent on foreign aid and scarred by years of war with Russia-backed separatists. – Rappler.com