A late intervention by the state government will prevent a “glorified hippie” from becoming the rightful mayor of Rockhampton.

Current Rockhampton mayor Margaret Strelow has resigned, leaving the mayorship to her runner-up in the previous election.

Chris Hooper, an anti-coal activist known to locals as ‘Pineapple’, won 31 per cent of the vote.

Pineapple protests outside the 4RO studios every week, Breakfast host Michael Bailey told Deborah Knight.

“He was woken up at 8 o’clock last night and told … ‘you’re going to be the mayor’.

“‘I’ll be buggered’, he said!”

However, the Palaszczuk government, once sworn in, will reverse the local government act to prevent Pineapple from taking the role.

“Isn’t that a sad day for democracy?”

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Image: Nine News