(Reuters) - From a peroxide-blonde stripper who wants to get bankers meditating to a Rastafarian advocating tantrism as a national religion, a string of colorful outsiders are vying for a place in France's 2012 presidential election.
One wants to bring back the monarchy, another says leaders should be picked by lottery and a third is a clown who doesn't actually have any campaign proposals.
None are likely to drum up the 500 mayoral signatures required to run in the April-May election, but they all hope to strike a chord with voters fed up with mainstream politics.
"A clown won the last election, and we'll only get another one this time, so why not vote for me instead?" said Mimi the Clown, who is standing for a second time, complete with black-and-white panstick makeup, red nose and super-hero garb.
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The Big Fight programme - In the backdrop of the controversy over three BJP MLAs caught watching porn inside the Karnataka assembly, on The Big Fight, we discuss if it is time to redefine the pornography laws.
Watch the debate here
Two ministers in the Indian state of Karnataka have resigned after they were accused of watching pornography in the state assembly.
Footage showed Laxman Savadi apparently watching a clip on a phone and sharing it with his colleague, CC Patil, the minister for women and children.
Another minister, Krishna Palemar, the phone's reported owner, also quit.
The pair denied watching porn but said they quit to prevent embarrassment to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
There was public outrage after news channels ran the story on Tuesday evening, and opposition parties demanded the resignation of the ministers.