Supporters of the two candidates in Ukraine's April 21 presidential election scuffled in the capital, Kyiv, forcing police to intervene and detain at least two people.
Backers of incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and challenger Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comedian and political newcomer, clashed in front of Zelenskiy’s headquarters in Kyiv, police said on April 9.
Authorities said the incident occurred when the two groups each tried to seize campaign posters from the other side.
Officials from Zelenskiy's office said the candidate was not in the headquarters at the time.
Poroshenko and Zelenskiy are tentatively scheduled to hold a debate before the runoff election but have disagreed about the date for the event.
Zelenskiy secured 30.24 percent in the first round on March 31. Poroshenko finished second with 15.95 percent, setting up the second-round showdown, as no candidate captured the required 50 percent to win outright.
Zelenskiy stars in a TV comedy series about a teacher who becomes president after denouncing corruption.
Poroshenko has suffered from generally high unfavorability ratings over perceived failures to enact political and economic reforms or tackle widespread corruption. But he has also kept the broadly popular aim of further integration with Europe high on his agenda.
