Clacton voters cast ballots in Farage mandate test

Clacton, United Kingdom. Voters cast ballots on Thursday in a local election in the English seaside resort, where Nigel Farage is seeking a new mandate after resigning from parliament last month.

Election contest

Farage has described the vote as a “people against the establishment” election and aims to demonstrate local support amid allegations that he did not properly declare millions of pounds received from a wealthy backer.

Major parties have not fielded candidates, leaving Farage to face more than 30 rivals, including independents and comedians, on what is set to be the longest ballot paper in British political history.

Rival candidates

Farage’s main rival is likely to be Count Binface, a silver cape-clad character created by comedian Jonathan Harvey, who has run against three prime ministers over the past decade.

Joke candidates are a regular feature of British elections, where it costs £500 ($676) to enter a contest, but they are not usually the main competition.

Donation inquiry

Farage said the vote would allow constituents to judge allegations that he failed to properly declare a £5 million ($6.8 million) donation from a billionaire.

Lawmakers are normally required to declare donations received in the year before an election within a month of taking office. Parliament’s standards commissioner has opened an investigation into whether any rules were broken.

If Farage is found to have breached the rules, he could face sanctions that trigger another election in the area. He has repeatedly denied an obligation to disclose the donation, describing it as a personal gift.

Local area

Clacton, in eastern England, was once a popular holiday destination for Londoners but is now a fading seaside town. It includes the village of Jaywick, rated as the nation’s most deprived neighbourhood.