Zelensky announced his candidacy on the eve of 31 December 2018, upstaging the New Year's Eve address of President Petro Poroshenko on 1+1 TV Channel.[6] Six months before Zelensky announced his candidacy, he was already one of the frontrunners in opinion polls for the election.[7][8][5] Zelensky won the election with 73.22% of the vote, defeating incumbent Petro Poroshenko.