"Russia's Obama": Well, Can He?

Joaquim Crima, a 37-year-old African-born farmer who lives in southern Russia, is taking a bold leap into Russian politics by running for head of the Srednyaya Akhtuba district, located 900 kilometers south of Moscow.

After moving to Russia in 1989, Crima earned a degree at Volgograd State Pedagogical University. He and his wife, a local Russian, have a 20-hectare farm in the region and sell their produce on the town's main road. "I haven't heard his platform, but he's a nice person," said Dennis Duma, right, a 27-year-old resident of Srednyaya Akhtuba who was sitting with his girlfriend when Crima sat down. "I would change my party affiliation for him."

In Russia, a black man running for office is so unusual that Crima is being called "the Russian Obama." "I like Obama as a person and as a politician because he proved to the world what everyone thought was impossible," said Crima.

Many people in town admire Crima's audacity. When he walks down the street, residents shake his hand and congratulate him on his decision to run.

Crima is a member of United Russia, the country's ruling political party, but is running as an independent. He put up billboards himself that read, "I will toil like a Negro," a phrase that Russians use to mean they will work hard.

Even his campaign manager acknowledged that a victory in the election for Crima is unlikely, but he explained that the Kremlin has promised Crima a seat on the district council in 2011.

Crima faces the reality of being a black man in a country where racism and racial stereotypes are deeply ingrained. A department store clerk who refused to give her name said she would not vote for him because she doesn’t want to "live in Africa."

Although he gets along well with the townspeople, Crima is accompanied almost everywhere with his muscular brother-in-law, who serves as a bodyguard.

Crima believes that he has what it takes to fix problems in his district, where people still lack potable water and use outhouses. He shrugged off voters' cynicism about the election by saying, "If local residents want a change, they need to vote for it. … Plus, I like surprising people."