Populist party candidate wins town hall in Romania town due to host US missile shield components

A candidate for Romanian populist party Dan Diaconescu Popular Party (PPDD) was elected mayor in Deveselu, a town which is due to host elements of the US missile shield. Ion Aliman, a ship captain, won 54% of the votes, defeating the incumbent mayor, a Social Democrat.

Aliman had run for mayor of Deveselu in 2008 as well, but as a candidate of the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) he lost that race. Now, he ran for the Dan Diaconescu Popular Party, named after Dan Diaconescu, a TV personality who built his fame on tabloid shows and more recently moved to politics, using his channel to lure voters with populist messages.

Aliman, 49, a married father of two and a marine officer, has been serving as captain of one of Romania’s two passengers ships on the Danube river.

He said on Monday he will drop his ship job to serve as mayor and promised to be close to citizens and refuse to comply with political orders.