In Moldova, the women’s access to executive posts is limited because of the lack of transparency in the work of parties. Over the last few years, the country made modest progress in ensuring the women’s participation in the political life. According to the report “Participation of women in the public and political life in Moldova”, which was presented on December 10, after the local elections of 2011, 166 women became mayors, by only three more than in 2007. In the parliamentary elections of 2010, the number of women candidates was lower than in the 2005 elections, IPN reports.
Executive director of the Partnership for Development Center Alexei Buzu said that in the next elections the number of women candidates may be the same or even lower. “Until the parties are not reformed and the procedures for selecting candidates and for financing election campaigns are not transparent, we will have a limited number of women involved in the political and electoral processes,” he stated.
Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Valentina Buliga said the women’s role in the political life is very important and the countries that understood this managed to become really democratic and to improve the living standards. But the Moldovan women encounter multiple barriers. “We do not have developed services that would enable the women to combine the social life with activities in the economic or political sphere and these barriers should be removed. It is very important to have instruments for promoting the women at this stage. Over 200 villages do not have crèches and the mothers are unable to do a job,” stated the minister.
Thematic coordinator on gender equality and trafficking of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe Tatiana Parvu said the way the women are represented in the public life show how democratic society is. Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Pirkka Tapiola said the EU member states also face problems as regards gender equality. The ensuring of gender equality is a long-term commitment for which the mentality of society should be changed.
