'Lonely hamburger' to tempt Estonians in e-voting test

(TALLINN) - Estonians are to have their taste buds tickled by an e-voting test for European parliamentary elections offering them joke candidates such as the lonely hamburger and tiramisu.

Bidding to spice up the lacklustre campaign for June 4-7 elections to the European Parliament, organisers hope such fare will encourage young Estonians to participate in the new high-tech voting system.

Among the specialities on offer are traditional Estonian dumpling soup and the local karask scone, but those seeking more of an international flavour can opt to vote for spaghetti al pomodoro, tiramisu or a simple espresso.

The lonely hamburger is supposed to reflect independent candidates not linked to any party.

Estonia's electoral committee hopes the test poll, which will be available on the www.valimised.ee webpage from May 28 to June 3, will also iron out any glitches in the new online voting system.

The colourful menu is designed to attact more Estonians to learn how the system works and engage in the electoral process.

Online voters will be able to change their vote as many times as they want up until the deadline but only their final vote will count.

If an e-voter also casts a ballot on paper at a polling station their electronic vote will be annulled.

Estonia pioneered e-voting and plans to implement soon a system that will enable voters to cast their ballots via mobile phones from anywhere they can.