Use of nicknames growing trend for Brazilian political candidates

World Today

Election day in Brazil is coming up, and despite thousands of candidates competing for everything from president to state and congressional positions, many candidates are not using their real names. CCTV America’s Stephen Gibbs reports.

Brazilian elections can be confusing affairs. There are dozens of political parties and thousands of candidates. Standing out in this crowd isn’t easy, and some take extreme measures.

In the 2012 municipal elections, one man campaigned as ‘Batman’, saying he would ‘fight for the people’. Possibly stealing the idea, another candidate stood as ‘Robin’. Also, for some unknown reason, every Brazilian election seems to include a candidate called ‘Bin Laden’.