Czech Presidential Candidate's Face Is Fully Covered with Tattoos

In the Czech Republic 2013 presidential elections, one man is sure to stand out. 53-year-old Vladimir Franz is currently gathering signatures so that he can submit his candidature for the presidential position.

His candidature has attracted a lot of attention, especially among the youth of the Czech Republic. His striking appearance doesn't let people ignore him.

Franz is not at all an extremist. He is a college professor at a prestigious university in Prague, and a known supporter of the arts in the Czech Republic. At the Academy of Performing Arts, he teaches theater and lectures in the art department, OddityCentral reports.

In order to participate in the elections he has to gather a minimum of 50,000 signatures. This shouldn't be hard, as his Facebook fan page has already received over 23,500 likes. On his website, vladimirfranz.cz, he explains that he sees tattoos as a form of artistic expression, a century-old one at that, and reinsures the voters that this is not a publicity stunt.

For him, tattoos represent freedom and beauty, as well as a constant struggle against the chains that society provides and asks we put on ourselves.

“Tattoo Art has accompanied mankind since time immemorial. In addition to the its original magic and ritual, it serves an aesthetic purpose. Of course it’s true that from an aesthetic point of view, this is a decision to be made by each free individual. Tattoos are an expression of free will,” he argues.

“The tattoos are a permanent and unchangeable expression of my decision to stand up for the graces of freedom, for better or worse. I know that people have many questions about my tattoos, and that these questions will certainly continue, but I want to add that my tattoos are the result of a long-term sophisticated concept, not a sudden whim,” Franz further says.

He adds that his appearance proves that he is not in any way linked to corporations that might have an agenda for the 2013 elections.

Franz has graduated from law school and has a doctorate in the field of law, so he has every chance of running and perhaps even winning next year.

He plans to run his entire campaign exclusively on social networks, and the youth of the Czech Republic is behind him.