Vodka and Kahlua Politician

Must every black person running for office in a predominantly white country be labeled the Obama of "so-and-so?" As far as I know this guy could be the reincarnation of Stalin but that doesn't seem to matter to The Independent, only his skin color. And get this, he's a watermelon salesman.

Whatever his politics, I hope he wins since Russia can seriously use a bit of racial diversity in its political ranks.

From The Independent (UK)

He's standing for elected office, he brings a message of change, and he's black. This has been enough for Joaquim Crima, a watermelon salesman who lives in a small town in southern Russia, to be dubbed the "Volgograd Obama".

Mr Crima, a 37-year-old native of Guinea-Bissau, plans to stand for mayor of the district of Srednyaya Akhtuba, part of the Volgograd Region. If elected, he would become the first black man ever to hold public office in Russia.

Even though the elections are not until October, Mr Crima has started his campaign. He has a Russian passport, has lived in the district for more than a decade and is known locally not as Joaquim but as Vasily Ivanovich.