Comedian rips up the play book in Ukraine election success

FILE PHOTO: A volunteer of a team managing social media pages of Ukrainian comic actor and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy works on the candidate's Instagram page at the election campaign office in Kiev, Ukraine April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KIEV (Reuters) - As a comedian, TV host and actor, Volodymyr Zelenskiy knows how to start a show with a bang. He proved that by beating all comers in the first round of Ukraine's presidential election.

As he plans for the grand finale, a runoff against President Petro Poroshenko on April 21, aides say he is sticking to an unorthodox campaign routine that has torn up the play book.