https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/28/europe/romania-mayor-dead-elected-intl/index.html
This puts a new spin on the current thread about whether or not incumbents have an edge in elections. Apparently, it can be hard to unseat an incumbent even if he’s not actually alive.
His salary demands are also quite reasonable, and you can be pretty sure he won’t have any sex scandals.
Years ago, our town supervisor died a couple of weeks before the election. He was reelected anyway. The other candidate’s, “Vote for me, I’m alive!” argument didn’t convince anyone.
So … who takes over? Maybe they’ll need another election.
Oh, you can only call him a zombie if he shows up to be sworn in.
Oh, I sincerely hope that’s the case.
But I wouldn’t count on it.
Name me one other case of Romanian necrophilia.
Ok, ok, other than Dracula…
Was Edgar Allen Poe Romanian?
If it is just an honorary title, this is a touching story.
If on the other hand being mayor is a full time job, then this is just stupid.
The report does say there will be a new election.
It’s rare but not unheard of to have a candidate who dies or is missing-and-presumed-dead too late to be replaced on the ballot and still prevails. Even in the US Congress. You can then have a case like this one where the voters in effect say to the still-live candidate: hey, sorry, man, I wasn’t going to vote for you no matter what.
The victory of the dead candidate is treated as if he had died between election and inauguration and either there’s a special election or whatever the legal succession procedure kicks in.