The lists of candidates of only four political entities of the 22 competing in the upcoming elections are headed by women. The number of women on the top five places decreased by 1% compared with the elections of 2019. The reduction of discrepancies between the median positions of the male and female candidates is a positive tendency, shows an analysis of the candidates running in the July 11, 2021 snap parliamentary elections through the angle of gender equality that was carried out by the Center “Partnership for Development” (CPD).

In a news conference at IPN, one of the analysis authors Alina Andronache said the CPD has monitored the local and parliamentary elections from the perspective of gender equality for over ten years. The analysis shows the median age of women and men among candidates decreased in these elections. In the previous elections, the female candidates were by 2-4 years younger than the men, except for the elections of 2019, where the median age of the candidates rose in both of the cases, while the discrepancy between the average age of men and women disappeared. Compared with 2019, the average age of the candidates of both sexes decreased in the current elections, with a slight discrepancy.

Elena Prohnitski, secretary of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (CALC), said the title of the analysis “Long path to equal representation” symbolizes the long path to equitable gender representation in the electoral and decision-making processes. Since the adoption of the law on the ensuring of equality of chances between men and women in 2006 and until 2021, there were taken a number of legislative measures and implemented a series of strategies and national action plans that promoted gender equality, among which is the equitable representation of men and women in the decision-making process. Nevertheless, their efficiency was considerably diminished by the subsequent decisions of the legislative body.

The double quota system will be fully implemented for the first time at this year’s snap parliamentary elections. This way, the lists of candidates were to be compiled by meeting two conditions: the minimum representation quota of 40% for both of the sexes and the placing of candidates on the list according to the formula – minimum four candidates of each gender per each ten places. If the conditions are not met, the electoral body refuses to register the lists of candidates.

According to the report, judging by the gender representation tendency in the lists of candidates in the parliamentary elections (1998-2021) and the results of the local general elections of 2019, the double quota system (representation quota of 40% and provisions concerning place on the list) increased the women’s chances to enter the legislative body.