Macedonia – Women & Politics – 2006 Elections
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: February 12, 2006
Members of the Macedonia Union of Women’s Organizations prepare for a
conference to help increase women’s representation in the 2006 parliamentary
elections. (OSCE/Elena Gulmadova)
MACEDONIA – Skopje OSCE Mission helps women reach the top in
politics
With parliamentary elections planned for autumn 2006, the OSCE
Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje is helping the Union of Women’s
Organizations (UWOM) raise the level of women’s participation in politics.
The project ‘Women Can Do It II – Parliamentary Elections 2006’ is the second
nationwide OSCE-supported project by UWOM, which unites women’s organizations
from across the country and facilitates their co-operation with political
parties, the Parliament and other state institutions in promoting gender
equality.
Increasing women’s involvement
Although women have become more politically active in recent years, greater
efforts can still be made to increase their involvement in community life and
their representation in state structures and institutions.
The UWOM project aims to equip women from the main political parties with the
skills and knowledge they need to influence political party platforms and to
create an effective women’s network across the country. Activities focus on
developing strong leadership, mediation and negotiation skills. Participants
also learn about state institutions and legislation, and practical matters such
as fundraising strategies.
“We know how to do it and we are confident that we can do it,” says Savka
Todorovska, the energetic leader of the women’s movement and President of UWOM.
“The OSCE Mission’s support gives us the boost needed to make it happen.”
Greater representation at all levels
The Government requested the Skopje Mission’s assistance in ensuring that
recommendations made by the OSCE Office of Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights were included in the ongoing election reform process. One of those
recommendations was to increase women’s representation in election
administration at all levels.
UWOM is also actively involved in this process, and its activities aim to
bring about changes in the election law to guarantee proportional distribution
of the gender quota in party lists.
“The current project builds on our previous achievements,” says Todorovska.
“When the Law on Local Elections was amended before the last municipal vote in
spring 2005, the quota for women in party lists was increased to 30 per cent. As
a result, the number of female municipal councillors rose from 8 to 22 per
cent.”
Thanks to similar lobbying efforts, the current Parliamentary Elections Law
also includes a 30 per cent gender quota, which has helped increase women’s
representation in the Parliament. The quota would, however, have had a greater
impact had it required equal distribution of both genders across each party
candidates list (as is the case with the local election law) and an enforcement
mechanism to oversee the application of the law.
There are plans to pass a revised Parliamentary Elections Law in early 2006
and should include a more effective gender quota provision that will allow more
women candidates to make it to the top of the lists.
Encouraging a more active role
The Unit for the Promotion of Gender Equality in the Ministry of Labour and
Social Policy – which is also supporting the project – is providing valuable
input on implementation.
Elena Grozdanova, Head of the Unit, explains that the project supports the
aims of the National Action Plan for the promotion of gender equality: “We back
all civil society activities that encourage women to take a more active role in
decision-making.”
“The project also falls in line with the OSCE Gender Action Plan,” says
Andrew Palmer, the Program Director for Institution Building with the Mission’s
Rule of Law Unit.
“This project is a good example of how we encourage strong partnerships
between the state and civil society. Such co-operation is fundamental to healthy
democracies.”
Raising awareness essential for success
Reaching out to women not yet politically active is another big part of the
project. “The aim of the public awareness campaign is to communicate the
importance of having more women in higher positions in decision-making
structures,” says Elena Gulmadova, Rule of Law Officer with the Mission “Raising
awareness is essential for the success of projects like these.”
UWOM also organized a national conference – ‘For Equal Opportunities – More
Women Elected During 2006 Parliamentary Elections’ – that allowed
representatives of political parties, government, NGOs and the media to develop
joint strategies to increase the participation of women. Project organizers are
able to use the media to keep voters informed.
Nada Simovska, a mother from Pehcevo, has been active in politics since the
age of 17. “I’ve been elected several times to the municipality and have always
promoted gender equality,” she explains. “As a paediatrician, I talk to women
every day, explaining why politics is not only for men and why it’s important to
be politically active.
“Many women are well-educated and intelligent, but stay home to take care of
their husbands and children. I will use my new skills to encourage them to
change their lives and improve life in our beautiful country.”
19 December 2005
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