Georgian Parliament approves annulment of gender quotas in electoral lists

The Parliament also noted a related amendment was being introduced to the Organic Law on Political Unions of Citizens, cancelling a financial encouragement instrument that offered benefits to parties for enrolling women in their lists in respective proportions. Photo: Georgian Parliament 

Agenda.ge, 04 Apr 2024 - 17:48, Tbilisi,Georgia

The Georgian Parliament on Thursday approved with its third reading an initiative by the Girchi party on the annulment of gender quotas in the process of forming electoral lists.

The hearing saw the initiative being adopted with 85 votes against 22, as draft amendments to the Election Code were adopted by the Parliament in an accelerated manner.

The amendments regulate the gender quotas and submission of party lists, where political parties will no longer be required to draw up their electoral lists according to the gender quota requirements, the Parliament said.

The changes also reduce the minimum of the number of candidates for MPs from 60 to 30.

The Draft was initiated by Girchi members Iago Khvichia, Alexander Rakviashvili, Vakhtang Megrelishvili and Hermann Szabo. Early this week, Khvichia said “women do not require men’s assistance to pursue a career in politics” in comments on the initiative.

The Parliament also noted a related amendment was being introduced to the Organic Law on Political Unions of Citizens, cancelling a financial encouragement instrument that offered benefits to parties for enrolling women in their lists in respective proportions.