TUNJA, Colombia (AP) 鈥 Mikhail Krasnov walks along the steep streets of the Colombian city of Tunja just like any other resident 鈥 except he鈥檚 no longer just another neighbor.
Now people greet the newly elected mayor as he makes his way around town and stop him for pictures. One woman hugs the man known here as the 鈥淩ussian professor鈥 and poses for a selfie.
Krasnov, a 45-year-old university professor from Russia, was one of the unexpected winners in 鈥檚 regional elections in October. He prevailed by promising to stamp out corruption and embrace more meritocracy in the city government, where jobs often go to those with political connections.
He鈥檚 also trying to reduce the city鈥檚 debt.
鈥淲e are not here to promote my face,鈥 said Krasnov, who has been interviewed by dozens of national media outlets and also a Russian network, since he won the election. 鈥淲e want to send the message that Tunja exists, that we are competitive and want to attract investors.鈥
The blond and green-eyed professor stands out in Tunja, a city of 170,000 people in Colombia鈥檚 Andean highlands, where many residents are of Indigenous descent.
He is believed to be the only Russian living in the city, where he has been teaching economics and human rights courses at the local public university for the past decade.
Krasnov was born in Saratov, a city in southern Russia, in 1978. He arrived in Tunja in 2008 on a student exchange program, fell in love with the city鈥檚 food and culture, learnt Spanish and became a Colombian citizen two years ago.
鈥淢y mother has Ukrainian roots, my father is Russian and I am Colombian鈥 he says proudly, adding that he opposes , where he has friends and family.
The professor says he decided to get involved in politics last year, due to his growing frustration with the city鈥檚 lack of progress in areas like job creation and poverty reduction.
鈥淵ou reach an age where you start to ask yourself what you can contribute鈥 to society, he said of his decision to enter the turbulent world of Colombian politics.
At first Krasnov tried to run as an independent, which meant he had to collect 30,000 signatures to get himself on the ballot.
After collecting the signatures however, Krasnov discovered there was another requirement for registering as a candidate 鈥 a $10,000 fee.
That was too much for Krasnov鈥檚 modest budget, but his growing fame and commitment to campaigning got him noticed by some political parties, who have the right to register candidates.
Eventually Krasnov was put on the ballot by The Force for Peace, a party founded last year by the former president of Colombia鈥檚 congress.
Krasnov describes himself as a centrist, and jokes about the campaign, in which he ran against several candidates that were better funded and represented traditional parties that have run the city for years.
In the nine-candidate race Krasnov also defeated a politician from President Gustavo Petro鈥檚 leftist party, the Historical Pact.
鈥淚鈥檓 a public university professor, who was born in the Soviet Union, so you鈥檇 think I鈥檇 be on the left鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut the leftists were the first ones to attack me, even when I was collecting signatures, because I also appealed to their voters.鈥
Krasnov won the election with 31% of the overall vote.
鈥淚t was a big surprise,鈥 said Alejandra Monroy Mart铆nez, a political scientist based in Tunja, who remembers seeing Krasnov handing out flyers and talking to people on the city鈥檚 streets. She said his victory reflects a growing dissatisfaction with the city鈥檚 political class.
Alba Rodr铆guez Parra, 56, said she trusts 鈥渢he Russian鈥 because he was a professor at the city鈥檚 public university, speaks six languages and has several degrees.
She鈥檚 hoping that the new mayor can reduce growing crime rates and help to expand the streets that lead into the city center and are sometimes jammed with cars.
鈥淧revious mayors have let us down, because they pocketed all the money鈥 she said.
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