Parties’ lists of candidates for the June 14 local elections, as those for the previous elections, include few women and young people and these are placed towards the end of the lists, said experts of the Partnership for Development Center, who examined the lists.
In a news conference at IPN, the Center’s director Alexei Buzu said the latest polls show that the people have greater confidence in the women working in district councils, in the Government and Parliament. However, the women are encouraged less to run in elections because about 20% of the voters have paternal views and say they will vote exclusively for men. Another cause is that the men in Moldova have more money and these finance parties and decide who should be put on the lists.
The analysis showed the list of the Democratic Party includes the largest number of women candidates – over 60% of all the candidates. The parliamentary parties are at the end of the rankings, with the Liberal Party having the fewest women on its list – slightly over 23%. Alexei Buzu said the women and young people in this year’s elections are represented even less than in 2007.
Ecaterina Mardarovici, executive director of the Women’s Political Club 50/50, said the lists of candidates now look like at the start of the 1990s in terms of representation of women and young people and it is regrettable that the ruling parties do not make effort to ensure a balance in this respect. Civil society expected such results after the parliamentary elections and insisted that the legislation should be amended so as to institute a representation quota.
Andrei Brighidin, the representative of the East Europe Foundation, said the countries that ensure equal participation of men and women in politics and decision-making develop better. The interests of all the people are promoted and the level of corruption is lower there.
The analysis by the Partnership for Development Center was carried out within the Women in Politics in Moldova Program that is implemented in partnership with the UNDP, UN Women and the East Europe Foundation, being supported financially by the Government of Sweden and the Council of Europe.
