Belgians strip down in poll challenge

Scantily-clad Belgians took up the challenge

Election officials in Belgium were taken by surprise after more than 1,600 voters turned up in their swimwear to cast their ballot in Sunday's general elections.

Clad in just trunks or bikinis, electors appeared at polling stations across the country following a challenge by a Belgian budget airline.

Virgin Express had promised free flights to Bordeaux, in France, or the Spanish island of Palma de Mallorca, for the first 1,500 people who voted in their beachwear.

The airline also offered free flights for a year for the outfit judged to be the most original.

Competition was fierce: at one polling station, a voter turned up in a swimsuit with a swarm of bees clinging to his chest; another came dressed as Neptune, the Greek god of the Sea, replete with crown and inflatable pitch fork.

Virgin Express said it gave away all its prizes to contenders who produced photographs of themselves voting wearing next to nothing.

"Our goal has been reached," said Virgin Express spokesman Yves Panneels.

"And that is: to prove that there are a good many people in Belgium with a sense of humour."