Europe

Ukraine's presidential candidate pushes for new parliament

Associated Press
Published | Updated

A bus drives past a billboard depicting Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin looking at each other in Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. The second round of presidential vote in Ukraine will take place on April 21. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

A woman holds an Ukrainian flag standing next to a tent of opponents of comedian and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. The second round of presidential vote in Ukraine will take place on April 21. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

The odds-on favorite in Ukraine's presidential election runoff says he would like to call an early parliamentary election if he wins Sunday's vote.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a popular comedian who leads in the polls ahead of Sunday's runoff, told the RBC Ukraine website in an interview Thursday that he would push for an early parliamentary election. Ukraine's Supreme Rada is controlled by incumbent President Petro Poroshenko's ruling party, and the next parliamentary election is due at the end of October.

Zelenskiy said Thursday that an early parliamentary election of is part of his idea of a "renewal" of the country's ruling elite but he conceded it may take months to make that happen.

The latest opinion polls show Poroshenko trailing far behind Zelenskiy.