Even when he's not in costume, Francisco loves hilariousness. (Image by Sérgio Savaman Savarese)

Brazilian clown Francisco Silva may not be able to read or write, but it looks like he’s a shoo-in to win a seat in the Brazilian Congress. Silva, who performs as “Tiririca” (which means “Grumpy” in Portuguese), ia running an anti-incumbent Youtube campaign that has him leading his opponents in polls. But there is one problem: It is said he can’t read or write and the Brazilian Constitution disqualifies people who are illiterate from serving in office. An excerpt from the Google News story:

“Brazilians seem eager to put a clown in Congress, according to the polls. But the courts are taking a less jovial look at a new report that the comic doesn’t meet a legal requirement that lawmakers be able to read and write.

The Brazilian Constitution mandates that members of Congress must be literate, and prosecutors said Monday they want to force Tiririca — a name that means “grumpy” in colloquial Portuguese — to disprove the allegations. Otherwise, he could be tossed from office if he wins.

Tiririca, whose real name is Francisco Silva, has been this electoral season’s hit in Brazil, drawing millions of viewers on YouTube to his campaign ads. His slogans include, ‘It can’t get any worse,” and “What does a federal deputy do? Truly, I don’t know. But vote for me and you’ll find out.’

Polls show he is likely to win more votes for Brazil’s lower house than any other candidate, upward of 1 million ballots.”