Politics is starting to become one of the unmentionable topics in today’s society. Political debates seem to be a long-lost relic, as violent protests are now the only place where people with opposing views meet. While internally dominated by highly polarized groups, externally the threat of nuclear war is enough to unsettle an overwhelming amount of United States citizens, as well as the rest of the world.

In times like these, it might be best to take a little break from the serious political disputes and focus on more light-hearted aspects of the art and science of the administration of government. And, as anyone who’s attracted to women will tell you, there are very few things in life quite as appealing as a woman who can successfully combine beauty with intelligence.

Any politicians who can survive in today’s ruthless scene are, if not anything else, savvy, smart and very capable. When they can combine that with attractiveness, the public welcomes the excuse to pay attention to politics, if not for the topics, then for the beauty and sex appeal of its representatives.

Since politics doesn’t always have to be about depressing, antagonizing discussions, we’ll have a look at the 15 most beautiful female politicians.

15. Aspiring Serbian diplomat, Vanja Hadzovic

Vanja Hadzovic is an adviser to Serbia’s minister of foreign affairs, and she’s poised for a successful career as a diplomat. Before working for the Foreign Affairs ministry, Vanja first came to the attention of Serbia’s political elite as the vice president of the Socialist Party’s youth wing.

Her undeniable beauty and sex appeal has already made some headlines over the world while landing her in trouble with her superiors. When the result of her lingerie photo shoot emerged, Vanja’s boss, Serbia’s foreign secretary Ivan Mrkic, said that her conduct would be the target of a government probe while also defending her freedom to take part in these shoots.

Let’s just be happy for the latter.

14. Russian gymnast turned politician, Alina Kabaeva

One of Vladimir Putin’s darling protegés, Alina Kabaeva pivoted from a prosperous career in gymnastics to the Russian political scene, and it was just her beauty that got her noticed. As a member of the Russian Parliament, she voted in several controversial laws such as forbidding the foreign adoption of Russian children and gay propaganda aimed at teenagers.

Alina also appeared on the cover of Vogue in 2011 as well as launching a singing career on the same month. In 2014 she abandoned her post as a member of Parliament to become the chair of the Board of Directors of the National Media Group, which is Russia’s largest media conglomerate. This sudden move sparked rumours she was, in fact, sleeping with Putin.

13. Career politician and topless model, Maria Carfagna

Former Italian Prime Minister and renowned womaniser Silvio Berlusconi famously said that if he weren’t married already, he’d marry Maria “Mara” Carafagna, a comment which landed Berlusconi in trouble with his actual wife. It’s obvious Berlusconi has never attended a sexual harassment seminar as Mara was his Minister for Equal Opportunities at the time.

She was often named the most beautiful minister in the world, and top of Maxim’s “Hottest Politicians in the World” list and it’s easy to see why. Her former career as a topless model and showgirl have influenced her political options, as she’s referred to herself as “anti-feminist”, usually taking the more conservative position in political debates.

12. From the Army to TV and now in politics, Orly Levy

Orly’s father, David Levy, was Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister, so it was no surprise when his daughter decided to follow in his footsteps. After completing her national service in Israel’s Air force and getting an international law degree, Orly became a TV show host and model. Life on the small screen and glossy magazines failed to satisfy her, so in 2009 she ran for office and became a member of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament.

She has served as Deputy Speaker and Chair of the Committee of the Rights of the Child. Orly’s career has shown her to have a strong backbone, causing her to leave her Yisrael Beiteinu party in 2016 after it became apparent to her that her party had abandoned its fight for social justice to be a member of the winning government coalition.

11. In love with Silvio Berlusconi, Nicole Minetti

This Angelina Jolie lookalike was severely involved in the prostitution scandal around former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Nicole Minetti went from dental hygienist to political candidate in Italy’s regional elections of 2010 after she fixed Berlusconi’s broken teeth, following an attack while on the campaign trail.

Nicole was accused of procuring women for Berlusconi’s famous sex parties as well as other crimes that got her sentenced to three years, essentially killing her political career before it got off the ground. Behind she leaves a trail of newspaper covers, including affirmations of love for the controversial Italian Prime Minister.

10. Polish politician and economist, Joanna Mucha

Joanna Mucha is the first entry on our list who has dedicated herself exclusively to politics, having never used her evident charm to pursue a frankly easier career in the modelling industry. An influent member of the lower house of the Polish Parliament Sejm, Joanna is an accomplished academic with a PhD in Economics.

She also lectures at the Catholic University of Lubin and is highly regarded as a liberal, in the European sense of the term. From November 2011 until November 2012, she served as Minister of Sport and Tourism in Donald Tusk’s cabinet. Donald Tusk has since moved on to become President of the European Council, while Poland’s government has taken a sharp turn to the right. Joanna remains active in the opposition.

9. Sikh-Canadian politician, Ruby Dhalla

Along with colleague Nina Grewal, Ruby Dhalla was the first Sikh woman to become a Member of the Canadian House of Commons in 2004 for Brampton-Springdale. When Indian soldiers shot members of the Indian Sikh community in 1984, a 10-year-old Ruby wrote to the Indira Gandhi asking for the violence to end. Her compassion was met with a personal response from the Indian Prime Minister.

After a controversy with illegal caregivers had been hired to help her look after mother, her political capital subsided, and she left politics after losing her seat the 2011 federal election. There were rumours in 2014 she had tried to revive her political career, but Ruby announced at the last minute she would not run for office, in spite of the Liberal Party urging her to run.

8. Playboy cover and political refugee, Anna-Maria Galojan

Anna-Maria Galojan has to be one of the most fascinating characters in Estonia’s political scene. The small Baltic nation is often a beacon of good governance practices for most European states, so it’s curious to witness it grappling with standard political scandals. This young Estonian political scientist went from the covers of Playboy Estonia in 2009 to the leadership of the Estonian Reform Party’s youth faction in the blink of an eye.

She ran for a parliamentary seat but failed to get the required votes before being sentenced to prison for embezzling money from a nonprofit organisation she ran. She was extradited back to Tallinn, where she’s now serving time and firmly believes she’s a “political refugee”.

7. Olympic athlete and member of Parliament, Vera Lischka

Vera represented Austria in the Summer Olympics held in Atlanta in 1996 where, as a breast stroke swimmer, she failed to make a long-lasting impression on the crowd. However, she did win the European title in the 50m Breaststroke later that year in addition to several national titles throughout her career.

With an academic background in journalism, Vera decided to pursue a career in politics after terminating her swimming career. In 2003, she won a seat in the Landtag of Oberösterreich, where she still represents the Social Democratic Party of Austria, proving she has what it takes to survive in politics.

6. Former Jamaican Miss World and now accomplished politician, Lisa Hanna

In 1993, Lisa Hanna became the third Jamaican woman to be crowned Miss World. After conquering the world with her glamorous exoticism, she proceeded to do the same in the American entertainment industry, trying her hand at acting, hosting and broadcasting.

While less successful in television than in pageantry, Lisa Hanna returned to Jamaica and quickly turned into a loved politician. She was elected as a member of the People’s National Party in 2007, becoming one of the youngest women to serve in the Jamaican Parliament. Lisa’s impressive resume also includes a four-year tenure as Jamaica’s Minister of Youth and Culture, a position she held from 2012 until 2016.

5. World-famous philanthropist, Queen Rania of Jordan

Much like her beauty, Queen Rania’s kindness seems to be endless. Several governments have acclaimed her for her efforts in fundamental causes such as community empowerment, youth, cross-cultural dialogue, education, health and microfinance. She is also incredibly internet-savvy, remaining active on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.

Married to King Abdullah II, Queen Rania’s championing of a cause will bring international attention to the issue and she’s not afraid to use her reputation to bring to the light problems that need to be addressed by world authorities. Queen Rania is compassionate, intelligent and gorgeous. It’s fair to say King Abdullah II has done extremely well for himself.

4. Career politician involved in controversy, Luciana León

Luciana’s father, Rómulo León Alegría, is a well-established figure in the Peruvian political scene, so it came as no surprise when his daughter decided to follow in his footsteps. At the age of 14, Luciana was the General Secretary of the youth wing of the Aprista Party in Peru.

In 2006, she was elected Congresswoman for Lima, becoming the youngest to serve the country during that term. Often complimented by her beauty, Luciana came out on top of a Spanish newspaper’s international poll to find the most beautiful woman in politics in 2009. This accolade came after she was implicated in the 2008 Peruvian oil scandal.

3. From reading the news to being the news, Eva Kaili

Eva Kaili’s half-Turkish, half-Greek descent goes a long way in explaining her indisputable beauty. She started off as a TV news anchor for a major Greek channel in 2004, holding that position until 2007. An Aristotle University of Thessaloniki graduate, she was involved with Greece’s Socialist Party (PASOK) from a very early age.

It was no surprise when Eva leapt from reading the news to being in the news, winning a seat in the Hellenic Parliament in 2009 and becoming the youngest member of Parliament elected by PASOK. In 2014, she was chosen to represent PASOK as a member of the European Parliament where she remains at a volatile time for her country.

2. An unlikely celebrity, Yuri Fujikawa

Yuri Fujikawa has often been called “too beautiful to be a politician”, Japan’s “Belle Councillor”, and has been voted by a Spanish newspaper the “most beautiful politician in the world”. She was a simple councilwoman for Hachinohe City when photos emerged of her leaving a hotel with a married politician in 2009.

Yuri soon capitalised on the fame after interest for her sky-rocketed in the wake of the scandal. When her website received over 230,000 hits on the same day, Yuri realised her image was a gold-mine. Due to her popularity, she had to get an agent to mediate all the requests she received. Her agent has managed to get her on several photo shoots and important events in the Japanese calendar, and you can see why her phone doesn’t stop ringing.

1. Determined, honoured and persecuted, Yulia Tymoshenko

From an early age, Yulia Tymoshenko was destined for greatness. She has led revolutions, becoming Prime Minister of Ukraine on two occasions. In a country gripped by civil war between pro-European Union and pro-Russian factions, Yulia embodies the country’s support for adhesion to the European Union and NATO.

When she won the 2010 elections, she was tried and found guilty of crimes of embezzlement and abuse of power in a sentence that several credible governments throughout the world saw as politically-biased. She has since been rehabilitated by the Ukranian Supreme Court, who decided there was no sign of any wrongdoings on Yulia’s part.

Sources: dailymail.co.uk, quora.com