Count Binface and Elmo Provided a Bit of Comic Relief in Britain’s Elections

Count Binface, Elmo and a man wearing a balaclava with a baked-beans print have all had their extremely brief moments in the sun in this British election.

As has long been the tradition in Britain, the elections include various joke candidates who often run against prominent politicians. While obviously a bit of comic relief during a serious time, the candidates are still there to make a point: Since the 1970s, they have aimed to bridge the gap between politics and regular people.

On election night, these joke candidates share the stage as they learn who is the winner of their constituency. This is how you get photos of the country’s new prime minister shaking hands with a man in an Elmo suit, without even blinking.

It’s also how you get a picture of Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former cabinet minister who lost his seat to a Labour candidate on Thursday, standing next to a man wearing a baked beans balaclava.

And it’s how you get an outgoing prime minister sharing a stage with a man dressed as a garbage can from outer space and Archibald Stanton of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party, holding a ventriloquist’s dummy.

Count Binface — a perennial favorite who entered the political scene in 2018 and who lost to Rishi Sunak on Thursday — wasn’t even that unhappy with the results, which had him finishing in sixth place. “My highest ever parliamentary vote,” the self-described space politician wrote on social media.