Porn star plans Hungary MP bid

Cicciolina: 'My campaign is for real'

BUDAPEST, Hungary - Porn star Cicciolina is considering a bid to enter the Hungarian parliament.

She has previously been elected in Italy where she represented the Radical Party and exposed her left breast to symbolise her left-wing politics.

But her decision has split Hungarian public opinion with some saying she would brighten the political process and others saying she would make a mockery of politics in Hungary at a time when the country is facing a critical crossroads.

Cicciolina, born Ilona Staller in Hungary, says she has employed an agent to carry out exploratory work for the campaign in which she plans to stand as an independent in Budapest's Kobanya district.

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She told The Associated Press news agency: "I hope to bring bravery, sincerity and outspokenness to Hungarian politics and take the people's problems to parliament. "My campaign is for real and I plan to make my parliamentary mandate a successful and genuine one."

Hungary has 142 registered parties but just six dominate 386-seat parliament.

Political analyst Tamas Fritz said Cicciolina would be more electable if she was to align herself with one of the big six but he warned those parties would be unlikely to take on board Staller for fear of alienating their core voters.

But he added: "The tone of the elections is shaping up to be exceptionally tough, and the humour and mirth Cicciolina could provide would be welcome in this serious mood."

In Kobanya however, teacher Ferenc Kulcsar said: "Her candidacy is nonsense. She's not fit to be a politician."

Hungary's opposition Socialists have offered voters more jobs, tax cuts and a corruption crackdown.

And they accuse Laszlo Kovacs' centre-right coalition of inappropriate handling of the accession negotiations with the European Union, which Hungary hopes to join in 2004.

Since Orban took power in 1998, inflation was halved to 6.8 percent year-on-year to December 2001 and unemployment fell to 5.5 percent.

The country is also working to reform its economy and eliminate corruption to speed its chances of joining the EU.

Cicciolina, who made her last porn film in 1989, has until March 15 to officially register her candidacy for the election, to be held in two rounds on April 7 and 21.