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Poroshenko Team Says Agreement Reached For Presidential Election Debate

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service April 16, 2019

Advisers to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and election challenger Volodymyr Zelenskiy have agreed that the candidates will meet in a debate on April 19 at Kyiv's Olimpiyskiy Stadium, a spokesman for the incumbent leader says.

The spokesman, Oleh Medvedev, said on April 16 that "an agreement was signed this morning by the representatives of the election headquarters of Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelenskiy."

If confirmed, the move would end a dispute between the candidates over the time and place for such a debate ahead of the April 21 runoff vote.

Representatives for Zelenskiy did not immediately comment on the Poroshenko team's announcement, but the challenger has insisted that the debate be held on April 19 at the stadium, and Medvedev's announcement appeared to be an acceptance of those demands.

Poroshenko had originally insisted the debate be held on a different date and at different site, but he later said he would meet Zelenskiy at the stadium on April 14.

Poroshenko went to the sports facility on that date and spoke to reporters and supporters, but Zelenskiy did not show up.

"It was not me who proposed the site of the event -- it was a certain man," Poroshenko told the audience, standing next to an empty lectern bearing Zelenskiy's name.

Medvedev said that the two candidates' teams will discuss the rules for the debate, adding that "so far, we have different visions."

Meanwhile, a group of some 20 Ukrainian news outlets on March 16 issued an open letter urging Zelenskiy to answer their questions ahead of the runoff election and to stop "ignoring" the media.

"During your election campaign, you made dozens of videos that became news," it said.

"You gave a number of interviews to selected media before the first round of elections, but over the past few weeks, you personally have avoided direct and full-fledged communication with domestic journalists."

Zelenskiy, a political newcomer and comedian who plays a president in a TV series, won the March 31 first round of the national elections by a wide margin over Poroshenko, but he did not receive enough support to avoid the runoff.

Most polls indicate Zelenskiy enjoys a commanding lead over Poroshenko ahead of the second round.

The president's favorability ratings have tumbled in recent years as the economy has struggled and as the government continues to battle pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine and the country's Crimea region remains under Russian control.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/poroshenko-team- says-agreement-reached-for-presidential- election-debate/29884680.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.



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