A CANDIDATE who campaigned dressed as a penguin received more votes in yesterday's elections than the Liberal Democrat he stood against.
Professor Pongoo, whose real name is Mike Ferrigan, was an independent candidate in the Pentland Hills ward for the City of Edinburgh Council.
With a total of 444 votes, he received more than both the Lib Dem candidate and the Green Party candidate. Lib Dem Stuart Bridges received 370 votes and Phyl Stuart Meyer of the Greens got 322.
Mr Ferrigan carried out his entire campaign dressed in a penguin costume and even promised to go to every full council meeting dressed as Professor Pongoo.
The Pentland Hills ward was one of the first to be declared at the count yesterday.
The three seats were won by the SNP's Bill Henderson, Labour's Ricky Henderson and Conservative Dominic Heslop.
Mr Ferrigan said: "We have to engender in our communities a sense of community which doesn't exist. The Lib Dems claim it, the Labour party claim they're going to create a co-operative council.
"They all talk the talk, but they need to walk the walk. As a penguin, I can show them how to walk the walk."
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