Ukraine's Poroshenko says election was free, met global standards

Ukraine's President and presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko and his family members, wife Maryna, daughter Yevhenia and grandson Petro, cast ballots at a polling station during a presidential election in Kiev, Ukraine March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said the first round of Sunday's presidential election was free and met international standards.

Poroshenko was speaking soon after voting closed, and after initial exit polls showed that he had come in second place on 17.8 percent, trailing comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy.