Party of Ukraine's new president leads parliamentary vote race

Reuters
FILE PHOTO: Candidate Zelenskiy reacts following the announcement of an exit poll in a presidential election in Kiev

KIEV (Reuters) - The party of Ukraine's new President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has strengthened its lead ahead of a parliamentary election due on July 21, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday.

The latest survey by Reiting research body showed the former television comedian's equally new party, Servant of the People, on 41.1 percent, up slightly from early June.

After taking office last month, Zelenskiy dismissed the parliament still dominated by loyalists of his defeated predecessor. Servant of the People has no lawmakers in the outgoing legislature and is campaigning on a pro-European and anti-corruption ticket.

The Reiting poll put Opposition Platform in second place on 9.0 percent, and European Solidarity - the party of Zelenskiy's predecessor Petro Poroshenko - third on 6.8 percent.

The survey also showed Fatherland, the party of former prime minister and presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko, on 6.5 percent, above the 5 percent threshold to enter parliament.

Reiting said it interviewed 2,000 voters in all regions, except annexed Crimea, from June 6 to June 9.

About 14 percent of people declined to answer.

Half of the 450 seats in Ukraine's parliament are elected on party lists and the other half in single-member constituencies.

A good showing next month would cement Zelenskiy's meteoric rise and upending of Ukrainian politics.

He grew to national fame playing the TV comedy role of a schoolteacher who unexpectedly becomes president after a pupil films him making a foul-mouthed tirade against corrupt politicians and posts the video online. His campaign exploited the parallels with that fictional narrative, portraying him as an everyman who would stand up to a crooked political class.

Ukraine's most pressing issue is conflict with its neighbor Russia, which annexed its Crimea region in 2014. Zelenskiy has said his first task is to achieve a ceasefire.

Following is a table showing the percentage support for leading parties among voters planning to take part in the election in three recent polls:

KIIS Reiting Reiting

May 26-June 7 May 29-June 3 June 6-9

Servant of the 34.4 40.9 41.1

People

Opposition Platform 8.4 9.1 9.0

European Solidarity 5.8 6.7 6.8

Fatherland 5.5 5.9 6.5

Voice 4.0 4.7 5.6

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)