The people's choice?
August 20, 2009What snorts like a warthog rooting for grubs, has hair like a vintage rabbit pelt, and sports an overbite rarely seen outside of the animal kingdom?
Just Germany's latest political sensation: a comedian in the guise of a scruffy small-time journalist named Horst Schlaemmer, whose fake bid for the German chancellorship has injected some real humor into a boring campaign season.
The undeniably unappealing alter ego of popular German funnyman Hape Kerkeling is the star of his own feature film, which debuted to throngs of fans in Berlin on Thursday.
The movie, "Isch kandidiere" ("I'm Running for Chancellor!") follows the faux candidate as he looks for support among the common people and German stars like rapper Bushido and ex-racing champion Michael Schumacher. Bushido also contributed Schlaemmer's campaign song.
"First of all, I'd like to point out that the Horst Schlaemmer Party stands for justice, and of course it stands for freedom, and yes, women's emancipation - but I've forgotten the rest of your question," Schlaemmer told Deutsche Welle.
Riffing off of the slogan that won Barack Obama the American presidency, Schlaemmer's campaign catchphrase is "Yes Weekend."
His trademark look includes an ill-fitting trench coat, glasses that cover what little of his face isn't hidden behind his bushy mustache, and a dirty grey wig.
Schlaemmer has gained the kind of media exposure and enthusiasm that more legitimate contenders for the chancellor's seat can only dream of. But perhaps that's to be expected when your campaign promises include state-subsidized tanning and cradle-to-grave income.
Two major German television channels aired live coverage of Schlaemmer's first press conference for nearly two hours. In contrast, those same networks cut away from real-life candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier as he was explaining how he'd fulfill a campaign promise of creating 4 million jobs by 2020.
Eighteen percent of the people surveyed by German polling institute Forsa said they could imagine voting for Schlaemmer's party if it did in fact exist in real life. That's not so much less than the latest poll numbers for the Social Democratic Party, currently in opposition, which garnered just 22 percent of registered voters' support, according to Forsa.
"Schlaemmer is an alternative to your usual grey-suited politician in Germany," political scientist Gero Neugebauer of Berlin's Free University told AFP. "I can imagine people are fed up with politics and politicians... the boring campaign makes Schlaemmer more interesting."
Germany's general elections will be held on September 27.
svs/AFP/AP
Editor: Susan Houlton