Candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy has just won the first round of the presidential election in Ukraine, beating the other runners up with 30.2% of the votes. If that sounds like an ordinary political news story, well it’s not. Because Zelenskiy is not only a comedian, his only experience of politics is playing the part of a president on national TV. And his campaign has been just as unusual, because instead of the rallies and press conferences most candidates go for, Zelenskiy has hosted comedy shows!
But Zelenskiy is not the first celebrity to enter the politic scene. Inevitably it’s the home of Hollywood – the US – that offers most high-profile examples. Ronald Reagan played roles that included a mob boss in the 1964 Don Seigel classic The Killers before becoming the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. And the bodybuilding Austrian-American actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was better known for his role as Conan The Barbarian before serving as governor of California from 2003 to 2011. The UK currently has five either former or working actors in the Labour Party including Glenda Jackson whose film roles won her two Academy Awards. Two labour MPs, Michael Cashman and Tracy Brabin, have appeared in Eastenders. And Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of thirteen musicals including Phantom of the Opera, is currently a member of the House of Lords.
While many want to see a comedian take on the the corrupt old guard in Ukraine, others worry that Zelenskiy could reduce the role of president to a laughing stock. But why not give him a chance? Yes it can be scary to have a leader who hasn’t got any political experience and who has never dealt with a national or international crisis. But on the other hand so many “professional” politicians have failed to accomplish what they promised, even though they were trained for that job. Also a newcomer could bring different skills to the table and show a nation in desperate need of a new start a different approach to politics and international relations. And if Zelenskiy finds being president beyond his skill set, satire isn’t – and given affairs in Ukraine over the last few years, the country certainly needs some of that!
