Kiel, Germany - A German Internet site, accused of offering to buy votes for next weekend's general election, has denied the allegations and said its Web address was merely satirical art.
A spokesperson said on Monday that cashvote.com had "at no time dealt with votes, paid for votes or asked money for votes", adding that it did not even have the technical means to trade in votes.
The purchase and sale of votes is forbidden in Germany and is punishable by a jail term of up to five years.
The site "offered" 10 euros to voters for their vote, and said it could supply 1 000 and 10 000 packages of "sure" votes.
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'Aimed to highlight growing link between money and power in our political system' Despite its claims of innocence, prosecutors in the northern city of Kiel said they had opened a preliminary investigation into suspected vote fraud.
Opinion polls give Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's ruling Social Democrats a slight edge going into next Sunday's general election, but their lead is still within the margin of error and every vote will be important.
Cashvote said the site's aim had been to highlight the "growing link between money and power in our political system".
Prosecutors in Frankfurt also opened an inquiry after an unknown person placed a classified advertisement in the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper offering their vote in exchange for a job.
More than four million people are out of work in Germany. - Sapa-AFP
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