The Latest on Ukraine's parliamentary election (all times local):
1:10 p.m.
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The Latest on Ukraine's parliamentary election (all times local):
Volodymyr Zelenskiy made the comment Sunday after casting his ballot in the early election to choose a new Verkhovna Rada parliament.
Pre-vote polling showed Zelenskiy's party getting the largest share of support in the election, but it is unclear if that will result in winning a majority of parliament's 424 seats.
Polls ahead of Sunday's balloting showed Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party getting support from a little more than half of those who intended to vote. But only 225 of the 424 seats to be filled in the Verkhovna Rada parliament are being chosen by party list; the rest are single-mandate seats, whose distribution could differ from nationwide sentiment.
A party led by one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest associates, tycoon Viktor Medvedchuk, is polling in second place with about 10%, followed by the European Solidarity party of former President Petro Poroshenko, whom Zelenskiy defeated in a landslide in the country's presidential election.
An Orthodox priest crosses a voting box at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy speaks to media at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
Yuri Boyko, leader of the 'Opposition Platform-For Life' political party, casts his ballot paper at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
A woman with her child leaves a booth at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainians cast their ballots at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
A man casts his ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
A boy looks from a booth at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, right, and his wife Olena Zelenska cast their ballots at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, center, gestures as he arrives at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks to the media at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Former Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko casts his ballot paper at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy casts his ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Former Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko prepares to cast his ballot paper at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, ,left, and his wife Olena Zelenska leave a booth at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Ukraine's president says one of the first tasks of the country's new parliament should be to consider a lifting a law granting immunity from prosecution for members of parliament.
A girl looks from a booth at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka )
Volodymyr Zelenskiy made the comment Sunday after casting his ballot in the early election to choose a new Verkhovna Rada parliament.
Zelenskiy took office in May, riding a wave of dissatisfaction over Ukraine's endemic corruption. Parliamentary immunity is widely seen as contributing to corruption.
He told reporters "at last, we must take away immunity."
A man reads a ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Pre-vote polling showed Zelenskiy's party getting the largest share of support in the election, but it is unclear if that will result in winning a majority of parliament's 424 seats.
8 a.m.
Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes.
Women leave a booth at a polling station during at a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Polls ahead of Sunday's balloting showed Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party getting support from a little more than half of those who intended to vote. But only 225 of the 424 seats to be filled in the Verkhovna Rada parliament are being chosen by party list; the rest are single-mandate seats, whose distribution could differ from nationwide sentiment.
Zelenskiy, who took office in May, called the election three months ahead of schedule because the parliament was dominated by his opponents. He is seeking a majority that would support his promised fight against Ukraine's endemic corruption.
His "Servant of the People" party — named after the television comedy in which he played a teacher who unexpectedly becomes president — is supported by 52% of the Ukrainians who intend to vote, according to the Kiev International Institute of Sociology.
A man casts his ballot paper at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
A party led by one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest associates, tycoon Viktor Medvedchuk, is polling in second place with about 10%, followed by the European Solidarity party of former President Petro Poroshenko, whom Zelenskiy defeated in a landslide in the country's presidential election.
An Orthodox priest casts his ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
An Orthodox priest crosses a voting box at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy speaks to media at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
Yuri Boyko, leader of the 'Opposition Platform-For Life' political party, casts his ballot paper at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
A woman with her child leaves a booth at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainians cast their ballots at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
A man casts his ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
A boy looks from a booth at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, right, and his wife Olena Zelenska cast their ballots at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, center, gestures as he arrives at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks to the media at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Former Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko casts his ballot paper at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy casts his ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
Former Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko prepares to cast his ballot paper at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, ,left, and his wife Olena Zelenska leave a booth at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Ukrainians are voting in an early parliamentary election in which the new party of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to take the largest share of votes. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
