Comrade Nikolai Loktev, 58, the incumbent mayor of the village of Povalikhino in Russia, asked the woman who cleans the city hall to add her name to the ballot as a formality, in order to comply with a regulation that elections must have two or more candidates. 

In a twist of fate, however, Marina Udgodskaya received 62 percent of the vote, compared to Loktev’s 34 percent on the September election.

“I didn’t think people would actually vote for me,” Udgodskaya said, according to the BBC. 

But one village shopkeeper explained: “If we could have voted against all we would have done, but we had the option to vote for Marina, so we did. I think she’ll cope. The whole village will help.” 

Loktev is sporting a stiff upper lip: “I’m not upset. People voted for her, so let her do her job.”