Threats to gender quotas in electoral legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
[News from our members in the Balkans] In the Balkans, with the support of democratic oriented men and international actors it took progressive, active women twenty years of hard work to enact quota regulations for women in the legislative branch of power.
Now, new proposals of amendments to the electoral law, which will be accepted by an emergency procedure, without any public discussion, are threatening crucial achievements of the post war women’s movement in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
In solidarity with our colleagues in Bosnia & Herzegovina, progressive active women and men from this region, expect that any changes of electoral legislation will not damage but improve the achieved level of democracy and gender equality.
In all the countries of the region if should be clear that legal arrangements in electoral laws should ensure that at least 40% of candidates from the less represented sex are ELECTED to all decision making bodies, and that afterwards voters have the opportunity to make their personal choice of male and female candidates that they trust the most.
Bosnia & Herzegovina has been the first country in the Balkans to enact positive measures for equality of men and women in electoral process. New amendments to the electoral legislation could annihilate these achievements. Let us not allow this to happen!
The parliamentary discussion for the changes of the electoral law is scheduled for today Wednesday 27 April 2016. EWL will follow the evolutions with its members!
