Surreal moments in political history

[Simfan34]

The NPD's membership is 100% government operatives, isn't it?

The estimate was 15% back in 2002.

And usually a NPD informer just seems to take the Verfassungsschutz's money and then tell them some fairy tales they want to hear. Which is why the informer system is so often criticized: The NPD informers take advantage of the state and not the other way around.

"the thing about fascism is that you have to use fascist methods to get rid of it" and all that, I suppose.

[Simfan34]

Santa Anna's whole career was pretty bizarre. How does anyone serve as President on 11 non-consecutive occasions?

In that vein, the political career of Norodom Sihanouk surely counts. Twice King, thrice President, and ten times Prime Minister (if Wikipedia is anything to go by), not to mention inveterate ally of the Eastern Bloc and even the Khmer Rouge (!), who spent much of his final retirement dividing his time between houses in Beijing and Pyongyang (!!!).

But one probably cannot beat Emperor Bokassa I in terms of pure surreality.

[Simfan34]

I'd take Mummar Qaddafi and the Kim dynasty as living embodiments of surrealism.

I would imagine that at least in the case of Qaddafi it was some kind of political surrealism. It can be easier to get away with things if you are an absurd dictator rather than just a dictator.

Idi Amin being the textbook case.