Donkey is purrfect candidate

Following on from the police commissioners election, in my previous posting.... Here are a few more election stories. 

While the candidate may look like a bit of a jackass however he is hugely popular with voters. But enough about the donkey CART, donkey.  

People have been campaigning to get a donkey elected in the city of Guayaquil. Up to 40 campaigners paraded through the streets of Ecuador's biggest city this week to the electoral council offices ahead of the vote. The four-legged mammal, who has been given the inventive nickname 'Mr Donkey', was dressed in a smart tie as he led his drum-banging supporters through the city. 

Despite voters superimposing the animal's head on a man in a mock registration card, the donkey was refused entry to the building. Speaking to a local TV station, donkey backer Daniel Molina said the group's goal was to highlight voters' attention to the seriousness of the election and not to insult any party.

Earlier this year, a clever cat called Tuxedo Sam launched a campaign to run as mayor in the Canadian town of Halifax. The opinionated feline, known as Tuxedo Stan, is campaigning to 'improve the welfare of felines in the Halifax Municipal Region because neglect isn't working'.

As the nominated candidate of the Tuxedo Party, Stan hopes to raise awareness about the large number of stray cats in the region. The furry feline hopes his motto of 'A chicken in every pot & a litter box in every house' can help win the support of locals. His campaign has even caught the attention of Halifax councillor candidate Wayne Mason, who wrote on Twitter: 'I'm just glad I'm not running against Tuxedo Stan. He is everywhere these days.' Thousands of Tuxedo Stan fans have registered their support for the black and white kitty, currently featured on a poster campaign across Halifax, on his official Facebook page. 'I feel very fortunate to live in Catopia,' he is quoted as saying on the social networking site. 'I've never known hunger, cold or abuse. I sleep in a warm, cosy bed every night. 'I get to play in a safe fenced yard every day. Unfortunately, there are cats all over the world who aren't so lucky. 'You can help by donating money or time to a local rescue group.' Although municipal law bans animals from holding office, it hasn't stopped Stan in his mission to improve animal welfare and become the unofficial mascot of Halifax.

Stan follows in the paw steps of Stubbs the cat who celebrated his 15th year as the honorary mayor of Alaska town Talkeetna earlier this year. Residents thought the candidates running for mayor weren’t up to scratch so campaigned to get the 15-year-old part-Manx the honorary position with a write-in campaign after he was born. The feline has now become one of the longest-serving mayors in America.

The moggy is a celebrity in Talkeetna – where he’s also the cat’s pyjamas at promoting tourism – and has around 1,000 friends on Facebook, which is more people than the population of the town (900). Local worker Lauri Stec's store Nagley's General, which doubles up as Stubbs' town hall, has benefited from the popularity of the cat. 'He was just in the Alaska Magazine, and he's been featured in a few different things,' she said.  Apparently the shop, where Stubbs spends most of his time, receives many letters and cards from around the world addressed to him. 'Oh my gosh, we probably have 30 to 40 people a day come in who are tourists wanting to see him,' she added. The feline is one of the longest-serving mayors in America, with his huge popularity worldwide helping boost tourism in the area.

Later....