Losing Russia\u2019s presidential election has literally affected the image of the Communist Party contender. Performing worse than he predicted cost him his puffy mustache, which he had to shave off as the result of a wager. <\/p>\n
While on the campaign track, Pavel Grudinin pledged that he would garner at least 15 percent of the vote in an interview with popular Russian vlogger Yury Dud. The blogger in turn staked the hair on his head. Grudinin came in second after Vladimir Putin, but still far short of his target, with a final result of 11.77 percent.<\/p>\n
Observers in Russia were gripped with suspense since March 18 to see if Grudinin would deliver on his promise. Photoshopped images of what Grudinin could look like without his signature mustache have emerged. Finally, on Saturday a photo of the clean-shaven politician was published on an Instagram page in his name. Then came some confusion, with his office claiming that the photo was fake and that the account was not Grudinin\u2019s at all.<\/p>\n