Politics is serious business. But there is always someone willing to sacrifice time and money in order to make a mockery of a political system. The best way to do that is to form your own political party and mimic your rivals. Many of such parties have been started by comedians and activists, and sometimes by people who are just sick of the current state of their country. Of course, the best way to help change the state of your country is to do nothing other than mock those who are already trying. It’s what I would do. Here are 10 really weird political parties.
Union of Conscientiously Work-Shy Elements
This is a Danish political party founded by a comedian in 1979. The comedian was Jacob Haugaard, who was genuinely elected to the Danish parliament in the 1994 election. He campaigned on bizarre promises like having better weather. He also wanted to import whales into a lake near where he lived. He wanted more bread to be left for ducks in urban parks. So it’s no surprise that he achieved an election victory. He served a whole term in the parliament. In fact, he was the deciding vote in a hung parliament. So he ended up making a huge difference in Danish politics.
Die PARTEI
It’s really difficult to know what this party stands for because it’s described as “The party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative.” It was founded by a German satirical magazine just as a side promotion, but it picked up steam fast. In 2014 it became the first joke party to ever win a seat in the European parliament. Their most famous policy is to rebuild the Berlin wall in order to divide Germany from East-Germany. But they mix it in with serious policies like healthcare reform and introducing a new constitution.
Polish Beer-Lovers’ Party
The Polish Beer-Lovers’ Party was a Polish political party with the sole aim of promoting beer. They really loved beer, hence the name, to the point where they wanted to introduce pubs to Poland so that people would drink more! The standard drink in Poland is still Vodka, so they ultimately failed. But they did gain 16 seats in the Polish parliament in the 1991 election! Unfortunately the party soon split into smaller factions. One faction preferred pint glasses, whereas the other preferred smaller glasses. It’s a serious issue other parties refuse to address for fear it will tear them into factions.
Hungarian Two-tailed Dog Party
The Hungarian Two-tailed Dog Party might be the most confusing of the weird political parties. They became a party in 2014 after being founded 8 years earlier. I assume this is because the authorities didn’t want to give them approval. And I can see why, because they don’t really do anything political. They just do street art. Despite this, they are good with campaign slogans. Some of my favorite are “We promise anything” and “Let everything better.” It just doesn’t make sense. But they seem to have the support of 1 percent of the Hungarian population.
Partia e Fortë
Partia e Fortë literally means “The Strong Party” in English. Founded in Kosovo 3 years ago, it’s a unique political party in the sense that most parties actually want to change things. Partia e Fortë wants to keep everything the way it is. They say things are pretty good the way they are, and so there is no need for change. They spend almost no money on press, gaining attention through internet pranks. Apparently people like their message as they managed to elect someone elected to the local assembly in Kosovo’s capital city. Their political ideology is listed as “fantasy”.
Death, Dungeons and Taxes Party
The Death, Dungeons and Taxes Party is one of many weird political parties in Britain. They want to introduce medieval-like measures to control the population. Their policies include using boiling hot oil to scare immigrants away, reintroducing the death penalty, and invading France. They always receive less than 100 votes in any election in which they stand. This might partly be due to confusion regarding their name. Their official name is the Death, Dungeons and Taxes Party – but their logo says “Dungeons, Death and Taxes Party.” Which isn’t exactly the most shocking thing done by weird political parties. It is confuting though.
Surprise Party
In 1940, comedian Gracie Allen decided she was going to run for president. All she needed was a party behind her – and so the Surprise Party was born. She used a kangaroo as the party mascot and soon went on tour with a rented train. In the election, 42 thousand people voted for her, which is quite a lot when you think about it. So she ultimately failed, although she was elected mayor in a small town in Michigan.
Canadian Extreme Wrestling Party
With a name like that, how could they fail? As you might expect, the Canadian Extreme Wrestling Party was founded by a group of wrestlers in Canada. Their party leader was chosen by a wrestling match, and soon got to work denouncing the overfishing of Canadian lakes. Fishing seems to have been a key issue for the party as they seem keen to defend people’s right to catch fish. They also wanted Canada to leave NATO, which would not have gone down well at all. In 2000, the fielded a candidate called “Sailor King Moondog White” – he came dead last, as you’d expect.
Rhinoceros Party
The Rhinoceros party is the successor of another Rhino-themed political party in Canada. The previous party was founded in 1963, which might make it the oldest of all the weird political parties. Their most famous policy is probably that they promise to repeal the laws of physics! They want to award every Canadian citizen with a Rhinoceros, They aim to outlaw gluten-free products and Android devices. They want to move the Capital city of Canada to a tiny town called Kapuskasing. They always receive a very small number of votes during elections but they keep fielding candidates anyway. I don’t know where they get the money for it.
Monster Raving Loony Party
Of all the many many weird political parties, this one has to be the best. The Monster Raving Loony Party was founded by a man known as “screaming Lord Sutch.” Their policies include plans to make unicorns a protected species, and to force terrorists to wear loud horns and bells so they can’t surprise anyone. They also want a knighthood for Ozzy Osbourne. The party is beloved by the political establishment, who apparently don’t mind being made fun of. The weird thing is that several Monster Raving Loony joke policies have actually been made into law by the British government. These include issuing passports for pets and scrapping certain exams.