A landslide victory for the 'Chocolate King': Petro Poroshenko, the tycoon turned politician, has won the Ukrainian presidential election, according to two published exit polls.
After vowing to end the conflict over pro-Russian rebels and align himself with Europe, Poroshenko won 55.91% of the vote, while Tymoshenko, the former prime minister, got 12.91%. Ukrainians, tired of six months of political and military turmoil, are hoping the new president will be able to pull their country of 45 million people back from the brink of bankruptcy, disintegration and civil war, which has prevented voting in pro-Russian regions of Ukraine.
• Ukraine goes to the polls today • Polls: 'Chocolate King' will win
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Poroshenko is a 49-year-old businessman who has amassed a fortune of more than $1 billion over the years and the nickname "Chocolate King." He spoke in English at a press conference where he declared a guaranteed victory. "All the polls show that the elections are over in one round and we have a new president," he said. "I insist on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine." He said Ukraine would never recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea.
With all due respect to the statements, Poroshenko does indeed face a country on the verge of bankruptcy, where he must find common ground with the neighbor to the north, the one that supplies most of the country's natural gas and constitutes the main market for exports.
Yulia Tymoshenko was considered a strong candidate, due to her status in Ukraine as a victim of corruption. Tymoshenko served as Ukraine's prime minister briefly in 2005 and from 2007 to 2010, with the election of ousted president Yanukovych, she was thrown into prison on corruption charges, where she served about two and a half years. Tymoshenko was released during the riots last winter, when the pro-Russian Yanukovych was ousted.
This morning, after voting, Tymoshenko said that Ukraine must join the European Union and NATO. Russian President Vladimir Putin promised last Friday that he would cooperate with whoever wins the elections in Ukraine, and sharply criticized US policy on the issue.
