Georgia's opposition Girchi party pushes to remove gender quotas from electoral lists
Girchi calls for an end to gender quotas in Georgia
Georgia’s opposition party Girchi has spearheaded a move to eliminate gender quotas from the composition of electoral lists for political parties vying for parliamentary seats. Leaders argue that mandated gender quotas impede women’s full participation in parliamentary affairs.
Girchi believes that assessing individuals’ capabilities based on gender is unjust, and such barriers should be eradicated.
Furthermore, party representatives pledged their support to the ruling party in electing the chairman of the Central Election Commission, provided the quota is revoked.
In February 2023, Parliament passed amendments to the electoral code regarding gender quotas in a first reading, expedited manner.
According to the amendment, to encourage women’s participation in politics, a party contesting elections must submit a party list to the Central Election Commission (CEC) where every fourth candidate is a woman.
Otherwise, the CEC will not approve the list, and the party will be ineligible to participate in the elections.
Gender quotas exist in many countries worldwide, including in European nations, and are considered a temporary measure. Once gender balance is restored, the need for quotas will diminish.
“The mechanism of gender quotas serves as a limitation for both political parties and representatives of the gender for whose rights and opportunities this norm was created.
Forming political party lists based on gender lacks logical justification. With such artificial intervention, women’s participation in politics will never take serious shape. The goal of the bill is to help women in politics avoid reputational damage caused by quotas.
Gender quotas further reinforce existing stereotypes about women, making it difficult to perceive women as fully-fledged political players,” the explanatory note stated.
Girchi calls for an end to gender quotas in Georgia
