Guinea-Bissau-born Joachim Crima, who became widely known in Russia in 2009 after his bid to participate in local elections in southern Russia, has left the pro-Kremlin United Russia party and joined the A Just Russia party.
Crima, 39, who is known locally for selling watermelons, was dubbed the "Volgograd Obama" by Russian media in July 2009, soon after he announced his intention to run as an independent candidate in elections in the Volgograd Region's Srednyaya Akhtuba District with campaign slogans declaring he was ready to "work day and night like a negro."
Crima lost the elections, but gained publicity by his social awareness in the region.
Last year, when European Russia was gasping from wildfires, Crima planned to send 20 tons of watermelons in humanitarian aid to the affected regions, but the local United Russia party's authorities turned down his charity attempt.
"My modest desire to be useful for this party turned out unwanted. But being an ordinary party membership card holder is not for me," Crima said in a letter to the party's chief and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Crima did not elaborate on the reasons why he had joined another Kremlin-loyal party, A Just Russia.
VOLGOGRAD, May 5 (RIA Novosti)
