A novelty candidate is a person who runs for political office in an election as a form of satire or protest, without seriously expecting to win. Novelty candidates are similar to and sometimes synonymous with perennial candidates, but whereas perennial candidates sometimes run on substantive policy issues, novelty candidacies are typically run for satirical purposes.
In the United Kingdom
editNovelty candidates and parties are a staple of British general elections, as running for Parliament of the United Kingdom typically only requires a £500 deposit and 10 signatures from registered voters. Candidates may either be affiliated with a novelty party, run as independents, or create their own political party.
The oldest and most prominent novelty party is the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, founded in 1982. Notably, a handful of their policy proposals (such as pubs being allowed to stay open throughout the day) have actually been implemented.
Other examples include Lord Buckethead, "independent space warrior" Count Binface, the Elmo-costumed Bobby Smith, an AI chatbot, and a pub owner who listed his pub as a political party and himself as a candidate for advertising purposes.[1]
In Iceland
editIn 2024, the Icelandic glacier Snæfellsjökull was running in the Icelandic presidential election.[2] Icelandic law requires presidential candidates to be at least 35 years old, hold Icelandic citizenship, and have no criminal record. To meet these criteria and secure the glacier’s place on the nomination list, campaign founder Dr. Angela Rawlings legally changed her middle name to "Snæfellsjökull".[3] The unconventional candidacy drew international media attention, sparking debates on the political representation of nonhuman entities.[4][5][6]
Winning novelty candidates
editOn very rare occasions, novelty candidates may actually win the elections they run in. A famous example occurred in Hartlepool in 2002, when Stuart Drummond, standing as the local football club mascot H'Angus the Monkey, won the Hartlepool mayoral race and was subsequently re-elected.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "UK elections feature novelty candidates blurring lines between politics and satire". RFI. July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ^ "Icelandic glacier running for president". BBC. 2024-04-11.
- ^ "Bid to secure spot for glacier in Icelandic presidential race heats up". The Guardian. 2024-04-19.
- ^ "Das Streiflicht". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 2024-03-19.
- ^ "'Snaefellsjökull for president': is een gletsjer straks kandidaat bij IJslandse verkiezingen?". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 2024-04-21.
- ^ "El glaciar de Islandia que quiso ser presidente del país". National Geographic (in Spanish). 2024-07-04.
- ^ "H'Angus the Monkey ex-Hartlepool mayor Stuart Drummond relocating". BBC. October 15, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2024.