KIEV, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's presidential candidates, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and actor Volodymyr Zelensky, on Sunday cast their ballots in the second round of the country's presidential election.
While speaking with reporters at a polling station in Kiev, Poroshenko said the elections have been organized well and urged people to do their utmost for ensuring the continuation of Ukraine's course towards joining the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after the election.
"The name of the person who is to be elected is not important, but the strategy and the way that the nation and the state will continue are extremely important," Poroshenko was quoted as saying by Interfax-Ukraine News Agency.
Meanwhile, Zelensky, who cast his vote in another polling station in Kiev, told journalists that the election would become "a victory for Ukrainians."
"I hope that today there will be a victory of an honest choice. We have already united Ukraine," Zelensky was quoted as saying by RBC-Ukraine online media outlet.
Voting for the presidential election runoff in Ukraine kicked off at 8:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Sunday. The polling stations will close at 8:00 p.m. (1700 GMT).
In the first round of the presidential election on March 31, Zelensky and Poroshenko garnered 30.24 percent and 15.95 percent of the vote respectively. Since no candidate got more than 50 percent, the top two are competing in the runoff.
The results of the second round are set to be announced by the Central Election Commission by May 1 and the new president is expected to take office no later than June 3.
