German ex-porn star's poll bid

Bond hopes to be the first actor elected to parliament

A former German porn star turned game-show host is running for election to the German parliament next month.

Peter Bond is a candidate for the liberal Free Democrats Party (FDP), and hopes to be the first actor elected to parliament.

A lot of politicians are nothing more than good actors

Peter Bond

The 49-year-old, who in the late 1970s starred in a number of soft-core porn films, became a national celebrity during the 1990s as the host of the popular television game show Wheel of Fortune.

In a bizarre case of life imitating art, Mr Bond once played the part of a candidate in a satirical film, called Der Kandidat, about a former game show host picked by a party as its candidate for chancellor because of his popularity.

He has been campaigning since February to win a seat in the Bundestag from the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in what was formerly East Germany.

The FDP, a pro-business party, hopes Mr Bond's candidacy will bolster its almost non-existent support in the once communist east, correspondents say.

Last year, when an east German regional leader of the FDP found out Mr Bond was an FDP voter, he urged him to run under the party's banner.

In the last federal election in 1998, the FDP won just 1.6% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

This year, the party is projected to win about 5% of the vote in the state and between 9% and 13% nationwide.

Unconventional

"Being a national celebrity has been a big advantage," Mr Bond said. "When I ring peoples' doorbells, about 80% have heard of my name. It's not like I'm selling vacuum cleaners."

In my mind, there's no reason you can't have a little fun alongside the serious arguments

Peter Bond

Mr Bond's chosen target of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is plagued by high unemployment and an exodus of young easterners moving west on the lookout for jobs.

His candidacy is highly unconventional in a country where politicians typically have university degrees in law or political science.

"Unfortunately, politics in Germany is often terribly boring," he said.

"In my mind, there's no reason you can't have a little fun alongside the serious arguments."

Mr Bond was born in western Poland and moved to Germany with his parents as a child.

"A lot of politicians are nothing more than good actors," Mr Bond says.

"But when it comes right down to it, I know that, if nothing else, at least I'm the better actor."