Female politicians in the Czech Republic have shattered the traditional perception of MPs as dull and conservative by posing for a raunchy new calendar.
Four MPs and two other members from the Public Affairs party took part in the racy shoot, which they say celebrates the growing influence of women in the Czech parliament.
PHOTOS: Pollies in provocative poses
The calendar features the women in several sexy poses in settings including the bedroom and the bath.
The women say they will donate the proceeds from the calendar to charity.
“Women’s political influence is growing — why not show we are women who aren’t afraid of being sexy?“ said one of the politicians featured in the calendar, 42-year-old Marketa Reedova.
The Czech Republic elected its highest-ever number of female MPs at the last election, with 44 women now occupying seats across the country.
It was also the first time the recently-formed Public Affairs party gained representatives in the parliament.
But the calendar has received a mixed reaction, with some political observers labelling it a cheap stunt.
"[The Public Affairs women] should be presenting themselves by showing what they want to achieve, not by showing off their looks,” Zuzana Graczova, a spokeswoman for Czech consulting company Brain Logistics, told the Wall Street Journal.
The European nation is not unused to colourful political leaders.
Karel Schwarzenberg, the leader of another popular new party, TOP 09, has become famous for dressing like a European aristocrat and being filmed falling asleep at major public events.
Vaclav Havel, a former Czech president, won renown as a rebellious poet and playwright during the austere rule of communist Czechoslovakia.
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