INSUFFICIENT REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN THE NEW LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Monitored municipalities: Veles, Kriva Palanka, Negotino and Sveti Nikole
Candidates’ lists and programs
In the Local Elections 2021, there was not a single women candidate for mayor.
Women were not sufficiently represented on the candidates and councilors’ lists, and their absence was most noticeable in the winning positions.
There were women holders on only four councilors’ lists.
Only two councilors’ lists had more women than men.
The gender equality dimension was almost completely absent in the elections’ programs of the mayoral candidates.
Unlike gender equality, young people were more represented in the programs of mayoral candidates.
Candidates for mayors, in their programs, paid very little attention to vulnerable and marginalized groups of citizens.
Structure of the new councils and commissions
The newly formed municipal councils also lack a gender balance.
Most women councilors are in Kriva Palanka – 42%, then in Veles – 39%, and in Negotino and Sveti Nikole 33% each.
It is noteworthy that in three municipalities, women are elected as chair persons of municipal councils – Kriva Palanka, Negotino and Sveti Nikole.
Men have an advantage in participating in the commissions of the municipal councils and their management, as well.
In Kriva Palanka the percentage of women chairpersons of councils’ commissions is 62.5%, in Sveti Nikole – 37.5%, in Veles -36%.
The lowest representation of women chair persons is in Negotino – 27%.
Read the full report Municipalities, Local Elections 2021 and Gender Equality
