Web for porn, not voting - Polish ex-PM

Poles should not be allowed to vote online because the Internet attracts people who watch "pornography while sipping a bottle of beer", a former prime minister told his party's Web site.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski and other leaders of his conservative party have said they wanted to rejuvenate their ranks and reach out to Internet users after losing power last October when younger voters flocked to their centre-right rivals.

Poland's election commission is floating proposals such as allowing people to vote online to boost turnout.

"I am not an enthusiast of a young person sitting in front of a computer, watching video clips and pornography while sipping a bottle of beer and voting when he feels like it," he was quoted as saying on his party's revamped Web site.

He added that Internet users are "the easiest group to manipulate, to suggest who to vote for".

Kaczynski, who admits to not using a cellphone or having a bank account, and his party have stumbled in other recent efforts to attracted younger supporters.

Last month party officials sparked chuckles among the fans of The Matrix franchise by comparing Kaczynski's successor Donald Tusk to Leo, the movie's hero pursued by evil Agent Smith and his look-alikes.

Kaczynski ruled Poland with his twin brother Lech, the president. Since leaving office he had unsuccessfully sought to retain his secret service agents because he feared being mistaken for his brother.

- Reuters