Long live the mayor
The residents of a Romanian town have elected a dead man as their mayor, it emerged today. The late Neculai Ivascu, who had run Voinesti for 18 years, was re-elected to the post. Ivascu, a 57-year-old, died from liver disease just after voting began on Sunday, but won the election by 23 votes. A local official said the authorities had decided to keep the poll open in case his opponent, Ghoerghe Dobrescu won, avoiding the need for a re-run. Romanian electoral rules allow for the death of a candidate between rounds of voting, but not on a polling day. "I know he died, but I don't want change," a pro-Ivascu resident told Romanian television. Election authorities gave the post to the runner-up, but some residents, and Ivascu's Social Democrat party, have called for a new vote.
Sources: Reuters, Guardian.