The women’s chances to occupy executive posts, more exactly the number of female candidates for MP on lists of election contenders, increased, shows a preliminary 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 double quota system (representation quota of 40% and provisions concerning place on the list) increased the women’s chances to enter the legislative body. The analysis of the preliminary lists of candidates for the snap parliamentary elections of 2021 shows that the number of female candidates is higher than at the previous elections, these representing 46.7%.

The number of female candidates put on eligible places for the seat of member of Moldova’s Parliament rose to 42.7% of the candidates on the top ten places.

The political parties can modify the lists of candidates during the election campaign, but not later than 14 days before the election day. According to the report authors, experience shows that the most important changes in the list are made on the last 100 meters.

“Respectively, the contenders who modify the list of candidates after they were registered must be obliged to comply with the provisions of the placing system throughout the election campaign. Judging by the preliminary analysis of the candidates running in the July 11, 2021 snap parliamentary elections through the angle of gender equality, we can firmly say that all the efforts made to ensure the equality of chances between women and men in Parliament witness the first results with the introduction of the placing provisions and the observance of the minimum gender quota of 40%,” says the document.

Elena Prohnitski, secretary of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, said the report titled “Long path to equal representation” was compiled by Center “Partnership for Development” (CPD) in the framework of the project “Monitoring Elections From Gender Perspective” that is implemented with financial support from the Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova.