The Rhino that won an election over humans with a record breaking majority

-


Picture courtesy Google images

In 1959 in Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, a rhinoceros won the most votes in a local council election and made history.

In Sao Paulo, corruption was rampant at that time. People were unhappy with the accumulating sewage, rising inflation, and shortage of basic food items such as meat and beans. As a protest to this, 200,000 ballots were printed and distributed under the name of Cacareco, a 5-year-old rhinoceros which was brought from the Rio de Janeiro Zoo to the recently inaugurated Sao Paulo Zoo, by a group of young men saying, " better to choose a rhinoceros than an Ass." Even though electoral officials refused to recognize the candidacy of Cacareco, she got more votes than any other candidate.

Cacareco, not only won but also set a record with more than 100,000 votes. In Brazil's history, to that date, it was the highest vote lead for a local Council candidate.

picture courtesy Google images

One of the unsuccessful candidate committed suicide on being defeated by an animal. The success of Cacareco has caused concern in Brazilian intellectual and political circles. It was interpreted that the country was on the verge of revolt. In the week following the election, the election officials revoked the ballot and a new election was conducted after that.

Cacareco, died in 1962. However,"Voto Cacareco," has since become synonymous with protest vote in Brazil.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poisonous bird- Hooded pitohui the only known bird to be toxic,

-
Image
Poisonous birds! Yes, they exist. Hooded pitohui the only known bird to be toxic, Picture courtesy Google images There are many poisonous insects and reptiles all over the world. But have you ever heard of a bird that can be poisonous? If you ever visit the forests of New Guinea, and you come upon a beautiful orange and black hooded pitohui bird, just enjoy its singing from a distance. Do not attempt to handle it. This bird is better off in the bush than in the hand The Hooded Pitohui (pronounced pit-o-hooey) is a songbird found in the rain forests of New Guinea, an island which lies in the South Pacific Ocean to the east of Indonesia. There are around six species of Pitohui of which the Hooded Pitohui is the most deadly. Declared to be the ‘Most Poisonous Bird’ by the Guinness Book of World Records, it was discovered in 1989 by an American biologist Jack Dumbacher who was netting birds in New Guinea. In 1989, Jack Dumbacher travelled to the Papua New Guinea bush in search of birds
Read more

Interesting facts about New Zealand

-
Image
  New Zealand is a beautiful island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses—the North Island and the South Island separated by the waters of the Cook Strait. South Island is the larger of the two islands. There are also about 600 smaller islands. The largest of these islands is Rakiura island, also referred to as Stewart Island.  Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, and Auckland is the most populous city. Both are located on the North Island.    In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire and in 1907 it became a dominion; it gained full statutory independence in 1947. However, the British monarch remained the head of state.  New Zealand is known for its stunning natural beauty, incredible Maori culture,
Read more