Kathmandu— Nigel Farage of Reform UK has been elected to Parliament in the Clacton constituency, defeating independent candidate Count Binface in a by-election held on Thursday; Farage received 22,239 votes compared to Binface’s 9,455; The election was triggered after Farage resigned his seat amid allegations of financial impropriety, and saw the major UK political parties abstain, resulting in an unusual contest between Farage and the satirical Binface.

Unconventional Contest

The Clacton by-election featured a notably unconventional field of candidates, with serial joke candidate Count Binface – known for wearing a rubbish can on his head and identifying as an “intergalactic space warrior” – finishing second to Farage; Binface’s campaign platform included promises such as capping croissant prices and relocating a pub's hand dryer; Despite not winning, Binface achieved his best-ever electoral result with 9,455 votes after running in six elections since 2019.

Farage Claims Mandate

Farage did not attend the official vote count or deliver a planned victory speech, but claimed a “convincing, overwhelming win” as initial results came in; He stated that he called the by-election to allow the voters of Clacton to be his judges, rather than the British media, asserting they had “stuck two fingers up to the entire political establishment.”; The voter turnout for Thursday’s election was 44 percent, lower than the 59 percent seen in the 2024 general election but typical for a by-election.

Background of By-Election

Farage resigned his parliamentary seat in July following scrutiny over a reported £5 million ($6.75m) gift from an overseas crypto billionaire; He maintained his innocence, stating at the time that he had “done nothing wrong” and not broken any laws; The by-election drew attention as Farage is viewed by many as a potential candidate for prime minister, with pledges to tighten migration policies including deploying the British navy against asylum seekers arriving by boat.

The result sees Nigel Farage return to Parliament representing Clacton, potentially bolstering his position within Reform UK and raising questions about his future political ambitions.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.