A few days ago I was posting on clowns at the US Congress. Now the Brazilians have done that one better, and elected this guy: Tiririca the clown!
His nom de humor means “grumpy,” and his campaign slogans included “It can’t get any worse.” And today, Tiririca the clown — “The Handsome Candidate” — is a member of the Brazilian Congress after winning more votes yesterday than any other candidate.
Tiririca (aka Francisco Oliveira Silva) collected more than 1.3 million votes and will represent Sao Paulo.
Here’s his ad:
Eat your heart out, Al Franken!
UPDATE:
At the Beeb,
Tiririca’s sucess could also have a bearing on other election races, as he can pass on his excess votes to other candidates in his party’s coalition, which includes the governing Workers Party.
Tiririca survived a last-minute legal challenge to his candidacy amid evidence that he did not meet the literacy requirement for elected office.
However, the electoral authorities indicated he could be removed from office if he failed to show he can read and write after the election.
Other winners were two pro soccer players who scored big,
Romario, the striker who helped Brazil win the 1994 World Cup. Fellow footballer and 1994 team-mate Bebeto was elected state deputy for Rio
Can’t wait for Cicciolina to show up for the inauguration.
