Russian City Hall Janitor, Surprising Election Victory for Mayor

Marina Woodgodskaya, Mayor of Povalikino, Russia. Photo by Twitter Capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] In a rural mayoral election in Russia, a cleaner who was put forward as a figurehead by the incumbent mayor was elected.

According to the British BBC and others on the 25th (local time), Roktef (58), who had been mayor of Povalikino, about 500 km from Moscow, ran for re-election last month.

Roktef, who was responsible for the administration of the small village with 30 households and a total population of 242, proposed that Marina Woodgodskaya, a 35-year-old woman who cleaned the city hall, run for office since there were no other candidates.

This was to create an image of democratic choice by having a competing candidate.

Roktef had previously asked city hall aides and Communist Party members to run, but all refused. Woodgodskaya was merely a figurehead for Roktef's election.

Roktef took the election leisurely and did not engage in any special campaigning such as advertisements or public notices. The village was so small that voters and candidates knew each other well.

Roktef expected to win, and Woodgodskaya naturally thought she would not be elected.

However, the result overturned everyone's expectations. Woodgodskaya, a former cleaner, won the mayoral election with 62% of the vote, while Roktef received only 34% support.

Residents offered various interpretations of the election results.

A 58-year-old former police officer said, "Clearly, people wanted change."

Another resident said, "Roktef did a good job, but he was introverted and did not communicate with people," adding, "Woodgodskaya's election is because the village is so small that people know and like her."

The person most surprised by the election result was the winner herself. Woodgodskaya, who had been scrubbing and mopping the local government office for the past four years, expected to continue that work.

Right after her election, she said, "I never thought people would actually vote for me," and expressed embarrassment, saying, "I haven't done anything."

Roktef commented on the election result, "I am not angry," and said, "Since people voted for her, let her do the job."

He added, "I did everything necessary as mayor, and there are no major problems in our village."

Woodgodskaya maintained a humble attitude ahead of her inauguration. Immediately after the election, she appeared stunned by her victory and described herself as an "unprepared fake candidate."

However, about a month after the election, she is showing enthusiasm in carrying out mayoral duties.

She said that her first project after taking office would be to install streetlights, which residents had long requested.

She took the mayoral oath and her salary increased to 29,000 rubles (approximately 420,000 KRW), about twice as much as before.