Villagers in Deveselu, a small Romanian town located some 170 kilometers (105 miles) from Bucharest, reelected their mayor – who died of coronavirus earlier in September – for the third time, CNN reported.
The posthumously acclaimed mayor, Ion Aliman, "won" the election by receiving 64% of the votes.
In a video posted on social media, dozens of villagers can be seen around Aliman's grave, lighting candles in his memory.
One man was caught saying in a video that "it is your victory," referring to the deceased public servant.
One woman, who could not be identified by her name, told local television station ProTV that "he was a real mayor to us," according to CNN.
The lamenting woman further added that "he took the side of the village, respected all the laws. I don't think we will see a mayor like him again."
Local officials explained that his name was already printed on voting material and could not be removed prior to the elections, explaining perhaps the man's overwhelming victory from beyond the grave.
This is not the first time that a Romanian mayor has been reelected after departing from the world of the living.
A similar incident occurred in 2008, when villagers in eastern Romania reelected their mayor, who died days prior the elections.