- Ion Aliman, the incumbent mayor died from COVID-19 complications just ten days before the election.
- Without time to remove his name from the ballot, over a thousand residents of Deveselu voted in his honor.
Ion Aliman, 56, was running for his third term as mayor of the small town, Deveselu, in southern Romania. Just ten days from the election, he died from COVID-19 complications. It was too late to remove him from the ballot, so the small town of 3,000 honored a mayor they loved and admired by voting for him by a landslide. Aliman received 1,057 out of 1,600 votes cast.
Voters then went to his graveside to light candles for the mayor. Aliman was part of the Social Democrat Party, referred to as the PSD in Romania. The deceased mayor’s win was a minor victory for the party, who was hoping to maintain control of the government by winning the mayoral seat in the capital city of Bucharest. There, the PSD lost to a candidate from the center-right National Liberal Party (NLP).
Dogs Are the Only Thing to Unify American Politics
Electing a dead mayor isn’t the craziest thing to happen in city politics. In the United States, voters have awarded control of their towns to dogs, cats, and even a goat. The dogs often stay in office for years and use their campaigns to raise money for issues close to their hearts–homeless pets. In Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, a border collie named Lucy Lou was the first female mayor voted into office in 2008. Make of that what you will.
Those worried about American politics’ downfall should rest assured democracy is under more significant threats than goats running for office. For example, Rabbit Hash is an incorporated community–not a town–so doesn’t need an elected mayor. They hold elections where you can pay $1 per vote, no limit. The money raised from elections goes to infrastructure and town improvements.
All About the Trust
That part isn’t so different from politics on a national scale. The only candidates who matter are the ones with money. It seems the only thing Americans can agree on in politics is that dogs are the best option. In Cormorant, Minnesota, every vote cast in the 2016 election went to a Great Pyrenees named Duke.
In Deveselu, there was more at play than just honoring a beloved mayor. His deputy, Nicolae Dobra, also voted Aliman and offered this insight on local TV as to the landslide victory, “none of the other contenders got the same trust from the voters.”