U.S President Barack Obama is reelected in mock elections held in the northern Colombian town of Turbaco where hundreds of locals turned out to cast their vote.
According to newspaper El Tiempo’s early estimates, at least 900 of the tiny town’s inhabitants showed up at the painted carboard ballot box.
With an unknown number of votes casted and no official result, the newspaper reported that Obama had won the Turbaco elections to the expense of his opponent, the Republican Mitt Romney.
The Democratic victory was well anticipated as the organizer of the election, former mayor Silvio Carrasquilla, also led the local Obama campaign and promised the unofficial electorate fireworks and a big party if Obama won.
Ballots had the faces of both candidates printed on them to also allow those who can’t read to vote.
Turbaco has a long history of Obama frenzy:
During the 2008 election campaign, Carrasquilla was responsible for creating the first ever, albeit unofficial, U.S. election in Colombia. He even built an unofficial Democratic Party campaign center in his town.
From the improvized campaign headquarters, Carrasquilla called on locals to vote for Obama, who subsequently beat Republican John McCain handily.
The inauguration of the United States’ first black president was reason enough for the town to throw a massive party.
Prior to Obama’s visit to Colombia for the Summit of the Americas in April, Turbaco organized a massive donkeyback ride to showcase the overwhelming fanbase the U.S. President possesses in the tiny Caribbean town. They even offered Obama one of the town’s baby donkeys, aptly named “Demo”, as a gift.
While the President and his entourage did not visit the town or accept Demo, Obama did send a thank you note.
Since August, Turbaco — which has no campaign manager or headquarters for Mitt Romney — has campaigned for Obama’s reelection. Demo has slid in nicely as the campaign’s mascot.