To *hic* or to h00t . . . that is the question

<b>Using Booze and Breasts to Get Voters</b>
June 10, 2002 9:44 am EST

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech voters are having to make some hard election choices -- should they support the party offering <i>free alcohol</i> or the one using <i>topless women</i> in its campaign?

With the Christian Democrats handing out free shots of plum brandy in the Moravian town of Valasske Mezirici during a weekend election rally, the Communist party had to quickly change its strategy for a meeting in the same town square.

Soon the party had five topless women handing out campaign literature, forcing people to decide between a free shot and a free peek.

"This is something completely new. And it's nice," the daily Pravo quoted one eyewitness as saying. The paper did not say which party the man would vote for.

The centrist Christian Democrats have teamed up with the center-right Freedom Union to form the Coalition in the June 14-15 general election. They are currently polling at around 15 percent.

The communists are slightly ahead of the Coalition in the polls, running at around 18 percent.