Mikhail Gorbachev Dom, 32, is vying for a seat in parliament, one of more than 245,000 candidates competing in the Southeast Asian nation's biggest-ever elections on 17 April.
The man said that his parents gave him the name almost by accident.
"My parents were certain that they were going to have a girl so when I was born they panicked because they didn't have a boy's name ready. My father thought it was a cool name and he was an influential leader of the Soviet Union so they thought let's give our son that name", he told reporters.
Mikhail Gorbachev Dom noted that during his childhood it was difficult to live with the name and he still prefers to be called "Gorba".
8. Mikhail Gorbachev Dom (Gorba) @gorba_psi S2 dari @univ_indonesia mengajar di Institut Sains Teknologi Nasional (ISTN) Jakarta & Dewan Kota Cerdas Bekasi https://t.co/j9azyeg6nK kini ia Caleg @psi_id DPR RI Dapil Banten 3 (Kota Tangerang, Tangerang Selatan, Kab Tangerang) pic.twitter.com/CbjCTdWoDM
— Mohamad Guntur Romli (@GunRomli) 7 сентября 2018 г.
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At the same time, the name "works for the benefit" of his political career. He decided to go in to politics after several years of inefficient environmental protection. Dom believes that it is the only way to achieve changes in the area of environmental protection.
The elections on 17 April will be the first vote in the history of the country during which they will simultaneously elect a president, vice president, members of the national parliament, and local lawmakers.
