The State Duma's Ethics Commission is considering introducing a dress code explicitly defining what lawmakers must wear when attending parliamentary meetings.
At present, there is an unwritten rule that parliamentarians should attend Duma sessions in formal wear, but deputies often turn up in more relaxed attire.
"It's essential that we define more clearly what is meant by formal wear," Ethics Commission member Raisa Karmazina told Izvestia, adding that deputies should not be allowed into the Duma if dressed inappropriately.
Opposition Deputy Ilya Ponomaryov, a key protest organizer and member of the social-democratic Just Russia party, is known for attending Duma sessions in jeans and a sweater and has been cautioned in the past for doing so.
Asked to comment on the proposal, Ponomaryov reacted sarcastically, telling the newspaper that it was "highly flattering" that Duma rules could be changed because of his wardrobe choices.
"It seems that our deputies have been more concerned by my external appearance of late than with lawmaking activity," he said.
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