Barsik the cat won an unofficial poll on a regional social media page, taking almost 91 percent of the 5,400 votes.

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The cat, according to The Telegraph, became popular after high-profile corruption cases came to light in the city of Barnul.

One resident said, "People don't know who to trust any more. They have come to the conclusion that they can't trust the authorities."

This isn't the first time an animal has taken over for a human, The Telegraph reported.

Tama was the cat stationmaster at a Japanese railway station.

Pushkin was blessed by the pope.

And finally, an Alaska town elected a cat for mayor after a write-in campaign.

While he is not an official “cat”idate, residents have been creating Photoshopped campaign signs online.