Actors and comedians portray politicians on TV all the time.

But Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky went one step further and got himself elected to the top job.

Exit polls on April 21 gave Zelensky over 70 per cent of the vote. Incumbent president Petro Poroshenko, who had been in power since 2014, conceded to his opponent.

Who is Zelensky?

The 41-year-old comedian rose to fame with his comedy show Servant of the People.

He portrayed a school teacher fed up with corruption and -- you guessed it -- gets himself elected President of Ukraine.

During his campaign, which was named after his show, Zelensky eschewed traditional methods like holding rallies or giving interviews to the media.

Instead, he toured the country and put on comedy skits in front of eager audiences, according to Vox.

He also made use of social media to make his case directly to the voters.

Defeated Poroshenko

Poroshenko, the man whom Zelensky defeated, came to power after the previous pro-Russian government was overthrown.

Under President Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian Crimea peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014.

However, Poroshenko was criticised for not doing enough to fight corruption, according to Reuters.

New chapter for Ukraine

Zelensky is not without his own controversy.

He has been linked to Ukrainian billionaire Igor Kolomoisky, who owns the TV channel that airs Zelensky's comedy series.

However, the two deny having political links.

Speaking to supporters after the election, according to the BBC, Zelensky said:

"I will never let you down. I'm not yet officially the president. But as a citizen of Ukraine I can say to all countries in the post-Soviet Union: Look at us. Anything is possible!"

Top image from @zeteam_official's Twitter page.