Draft Law on Gender Quota Submitted to Parliament
On June 10, 2015, a group of civil society organizations in Georgia submitted to the parliament of Georgia a legislative proposal for introducing electoral quotas to increase women participation in representative authorities of Georgia.
The draft law proposes modification of the Election Code to include mandatory gender quotas that would apply to political party lists for election registration. If adopted by the parliament, the quotas will secure minimum 25% representation for women in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The legislative proposal was submitted by the task force for women’s political participation composed of local civil society organizations. The task force was established last year in February. Its members include over 40 international and local organizations, representatives of political parties and experts focusing on gender equality, human rights and the improvement of election system in Georgia. Initiators of the proposal believe that increasing women’s representation in legislative authorities will greatly improve political processes and the degree of democracy in the country.