The Network of Women in Politics of Venezuela demands the approval of a law that guarantees the gender parity in elected positions.
The request was made during a meeting that the network held with the vice president of the National Electoral Council (CNE) Enrique Márquez, this Wednesday, August 3.
The electoral authority informed, on its official Twitter account, that it supports the initiative and that the follow-up of this proposal will be carried out through the constitution of a workgroup who will make it happen.
“In the same way, an agenda of legal reforms to guarantee gender equity in political and civil society organizations, to which I will contribute from my institutional and personal role,” said Márquez.
The deputy rector of the CNE Griselda Colina was also present at the meeting and stated: “It’s not just about the quota, which is necessary, it’s about The political participation of women In all spaces, in the unions, in the unions and in the political parties, we have the task of making visible how the directives and statuses are being left inside the parties, how they are empowering women in this exercise of politics ”.
Among the powers of the CNE is that of preparing the draft laws related to electoral matters and submit them to the National Assembly for its consideration and discussion.
a historical debt
Gender parity continues to be a debt in Venezuela despite a history of resolutions of the National Electoral Council (CNE), which contemplate a gender quota for nominations, and to have a Constitution that establishes the exercise in equal conditions of the rights and freedoms that the Electoral Power has not settled.
The Center for Justice and Peace (Cepaz) warns that “the challenge for the future continues to be to make progress in terms of gender, ensure the full and effective representation of women in decision-making spaces and include the gender perspective in these decisions».
The little participation of women was evidenced by the Election Observation Missionl of the European Union who visited the country in the last regional and municipal elections of 2021.
The Mission highlighted that, despite the existence of a legal framework that guarantees equal rights and full political participation for women, “in practice, Venezuelan women have one of the lowest rates of political representation in the region.”
In the last elections, the CNE published instructions that established the criteria of parity in the candidacies for the positions of state councilors and legislators, with participation quotas of 40% and 50% for each gender.
But the observers found that, although this regulation was complied with, the participation of women was reduced in the positions for mayors and governors, where they only reached one participation of 19% and 9% respectivelysince the political parties did not promote female candidates.