Obama wins mock elections in Bucharest as apathy marks local Election Day party

The US Embassy to Bucharest organized a party on Tuesday night to mark the US Election Day. US flags and insignia depicting the two presidential candidates, Uncle Sam hats and a booth to allow invitees to vote – all the ingredients for such an event were met, but the air was filled with apathy with no American-style enthusiasm.

The party began at 10.00 p.m. Romanian time with organizers delivering Made in China- blue-red hats to guests and inviting them to cast their „vote” in a booth flanked by pictures of the two candidates.

The HotNews.ro reporter to the party searched in vain to find a US citizen who voted for McCain. But many of those interviewed, including lots of half-Romanian, half-American youth, said they voted Obama, despite some of them considering him too leftist for a full-hearted support.

The American youth attending the event said their country was confronted with difficult times and put it bluntly when prompted about it: „Let’s face it: we are in deep shit”, said one. They said they believed Obama as president would have a difficult term and it was natural that many of those voting for him would be disappointed eventually.

The mock-vote organized at the party was not suprising: Obama won 176 votes to McCain’s 67. As all US participants interviewed said they voted Obama, it’s very likely that McCain earned the „vote” of Romanian guests.