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'German Borat' Rides High in Election Polls

By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 22, 2009 5:58 AM CDT
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(Newser) – With the slogan "Yes weekend" and promises to subsidize tanning beds and cosmetic surgery, candidate Horst Schlaemmer has stormed the otherwise drab German election campaign scene. Unlike rivals Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, aspiring chancellor Schlaemmer doesn't exist—he's a character created by a comedian—but that didn't stop him from polling 18% in a recent survey, the BBC reports.

Hape Kerkeling, the German actor behind Schlaemmer, has been likened to Sacha Baron Cohen for his use of characters that blur the line between fact and fiction. He recently released a movie featuring Schlaemmer as a small-town newspaper editor who runs for chancellor; to promote the film, Kerkeling launched the "conservative, liberal, left-wing and a bit ecological" Horst Schlaemmer party, which pledges to change the German national eagle to a bunny.   

BERLIN - APRIL 24: Hape Kerkeling alias Horst Schlaemmer attends the German Film Award 2009 at the Palais am Funkturm on April 24, 2009 in Berlin, Germany.
BERLIN - APRIL 24: Hape Kerkeling alias Horst Schlaemmer attends the German Film Award 2009 at the Palais am Funkturm on April 24, 2009 in Berlin, Germany.   (Getty Images)
BERLIN - APRIL 24: Hape Kerkeling alias Horst Schlaemmer attends the German Film Award 2009 at the Palais am Funkturm on April 24, 2009 in Berlin, Germany.
BERLIN - APRIL 24: Hape Kerkeling alias Horst Schlaemmer attends the German Film Award 2009 at the Palais am Funkturm on April 24, 2009 in Berlin, Germany.   (Getty Images)
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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
cochiserocks
Aug 22, 2009 2:50 AM CDT
".....Kerkeling launched the "conservative, liberal, left-wing and a bit ecological" Horst Schlaemmer party, which pledges to change the German national eagle to a bunny". That made me smile - Come one - Give the Germans a break - for them this is Monty Python, The Onion, Cheech and Chong, FNL, National Lampoons and Ali G all rolled into one - they've got some catching up to do! :-)
Fondue
Aug 22, 2009 2:19 AM CDT
Yes Weekend!

 
Angela Merkel • Frank-Walter Steinmeier • German election • Horst Schlaemmer

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