Ukraine election: comedian challenger poised to have last laugh after stadium showdown

Ukraine’s president has faced his comedian challenger for a grandiose, vitriolic debate at Kiev’s Olympic stadium on Friday in a last-ditch attempt to win a second term.

After weeks of bickering that saw each candidate put up his own stage, president Petro Poroshenko came over to television star Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s end, shook hands and agreed to stand on the same stage.

But any collegiality ended there as the challenger, who plays a oligarch-fighting president in a hit television show, accused the incumbent of corruption and cronyism. In turn, Mr Poroshenko said on Mr Zelenskiy’s inexperience and vague campaign platform showed he wasn’t ready to handle the simmering conflict with Russia-backed…