German leaders in undies turn heads in Berlin!

Berliners were greeted this week with an unusual sight: a giant mock-up of Chancellor Angela Merkel in a purple bra and knicker set.

German leaders in undies turn heads in Berlin!

Berliners were greeted this week with an unusual sight: a giant mock-up of Chancellor Angela Merkel in a purple bra and knicker set.

The 100-sq m image of the leader is part of a nationwide ad campaign for an underwear company aiming to cash in on the success of a "cash-for-clunkers" scheme for old cars. Punters trading in their old underwear will get a u00a45 (Rs 300) discount on a new pair, the ad promises, under the slogan: "The country needs new undies."

The ad at a busy junction in the city's main shopping drag has been causing a stir on the streets, with scores of people taking snapshots of the billboard.

Another said, "I think it's fantastic that you can look at something funny when you're waiting for the bus."

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This is not the first time the chancellor affectionately known as Angie has made waves with her dress.

Last year, she made headlines around the world after wearing a low-cut dress to the opening of the Oslo Opera House prompting headlines such as "Merkel's Weapons of Mass Destruction".

In 2006, a British tabloid, the Sun, snapped her changing into a bathing suit while on holiday in Italy under the headline "Big in the Bum-destag", a reference to the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament.

Lined up behind Merkel in the ad are other members of Germany's political elite, also in their underwear, including Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who aims to uns-eat Merkel in the next polls.

"I don't know who they all are. Apart from Merkel, of course," said a 24-year-old.

Perhaps an early indication that it will be Steinmeier, not Merkel, caught with his pants down when Germany goes to the polls in September.

Merkel's office refused to comment on the campaign.

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