Klaus addresses potential voters by telephone

Inspired by the U.S. Republican Party's pre-election campaign, the Czech Civic Democratic Party has began using the telephone as a means of gaining voters. On Sunday, several Czech citizens were surprised to hear the voice of Civic Democrat leader Vaclav Klaus on the telephone, warning them against the dangers of socialism and urging citizens not to vote for left-of-centre parties at this weekend's election. However, instead of having a positive effect on potential voters, many of those called said the method of campaigning was an invasion of privacy, saying they did not like being held on the line by automatic messages, telling them who to vote for.