Barsik The Siberian Cat (Photo : Twitter)
People living in a rural Russian city are so disenchanted with local politicians that they have voted in an unofficial poll to give a fluffy cat a chance to serve as mayor. The residents are tired of politicians who are corrupt and give special treatment to friends and family that they have voted through a social media page to give a feline the chance to run city hall.
Barsik the cat was added to a mayoral poll for the Siberian city Barnaul. The 18-month-old Scottish Fold had earned over 5,400 votes (about 91 percent) by December 15, Tuesday.
Earlier this month the poll was posted on the Russian social network Vk and was the idea of Altai Online. The poll for mayor took place in the town about 2,250 miles (3,600 kilometers) east of Moscow.
Many people in the city are tired of the many corruption cases being reported by local media. They include the city manager Igor Savintsev selling government land to businesses connected to his family members, which cost the city $157,000, according to The Guardian.
Last year Savintsev's son Maxim was charged with fraud and stealing from the government. He then fled to Thailand.
A man using the online fake name "Altai Farmer" started a crowd-funding campaign to raise money for a billboard in the city center. It shows a feline candidate for mayor with the political slogan "Only mice don't vote for Barsik!" The online fundraising has already received $20.
The area's opposition parties also support Barsik the cat running for mayor. They say it protests how the local government is run.
A special group will pick the new mayor on December 22, Tuesday, according to International Business Times. It will be the first mayoral election in five years because a central government has been choosing one.
In the past some animals in the United States have run for mayor and won. They include a cat in Alaska, dogs in California and Kentucky, and a goat in Texas.
