Ukraine president on course for commanding win in parliamentary election

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reacts at his party's headquarters after a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine July 21, 2019. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party took a commanding lead in Sunday's snap parliamentary election, consolidating the power of the novice politician whose stunning rise has upended traditional politics in the war-scarred nation.

A former comedian who played a fictional schoolteacher-turned-president in a popular TV series, the 41-year-old Zelenskiy has tapped into widespread voter anger over corruption and low living standards in one of Europe's poorest countries.