Residents of a small village in southern Romania have elected Ion Aliman as their local mayor despite his recent death from Covid-19 complications, AP reported.

After handing a landslide victory to Aliman, Deveselu village residents went to his grave to light candles for him.

Aliman was reelected in a landslide for an unprecedented third term as mayor of the village of Deveselu despite having died 10 days prior to the country’s municipal elections.

His death came too late to remove his name from Sunday’s ballot, but the news of his passing spread fast through the village, home to just over 3,000 people. The popular incumbent would have celebrated his 57th birthday on election day. To honour the man they admired, hundreds of Deveselu villagers went to the polling stations Sunday and voted for Aliman anyway.