After the bill to amend the legislation to ensure gender equality in the public and political spheres was passed by Parliament in the first reading in the summer of 2014, this was included again in the April 14 sitting of the legislature for being debated and adopted in the second reading, IPN reports.
According to an article by the Association of Independent Press, in July 2014 the MPs adopted two legislative initiatives aimed at promoting women in the public and political spheres as a result of contradictory discussions. One was drafted by Lib-Dems, while another one by the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family. In the first case, the bill authors suggest instituting a minimum 30% quota of women candidates on party lists, while in the second case – of 40%. After the two bills were carried in the first reading, their examination was delayed, even if human rights NGOs insisted that these should be proposed for the second reading.
The MPs decided to return to the bill fielded by the Ministry of Labor one year and ten months after its adoption in the first reading. According to human rights expert Andrei Brighidin, the proposal to introduce a minimum quota of 40% will arouse heated debates this time again. He said that this provision will oblige the political parties to include more women in their lists of candidates and to promote these to executive posts. If the law is passed in the final reading, the provisions concerning the equitable representation of women in the Government or Parliament will be applied only starting with the parliamentary elections of 2018.
If the MPs adopt this bill in the second reading, the Election Code and the Law on Political Parties will be supplemented with the provision that at least 40% of the candidates on party lists in elections should be women. A minimum 40% quota was also recommended by the Council of Europe.
The draft law submitted by the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family also suggests other actions to promote gender equality such as banning sexist advertisements, ensuring the men’s right to paternity leave and penalties for violating the principle of gender equality.
