CEC: Number of women elected as mayor and councillor up after last general local elections

Chisinau, April 3 /MOLDPRES/ - The number of women elected as mayors and councillors in local and district councils is increasing after the last general local elections, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) announced today.

The CEC has set the survey - Gender representation in general local elections: comparative analysis - 2015, 2019, 2023, which includes data on the participation of women and men in electoral processes in the last three such elections.

Over 23,700 women were registered as candidates for mayor and councillor in local councils of level I and II at the elections of 5 November 2023. As a result of the elections, 215 women were elected as mayors in Moldova, which represents 24% of the total number of elected mayors. At the same time, 366 women were elected as level II local councillors, or 33.7%. 4,126 women were elected as first level local councillors, or over 41.5%. 

"If we compare these results with those from previous general local elections, then we see that 2.2% more women were elected as mayors in the 2023 elections than in 2019, and 3.4% more than in 2015. The data show that in 2023, the number of women in city and village councillors increased by 5% compared to 2019, while 11.5% fewer women were elected to this position in 2015. In 2023, 6.6% more women were elected as district/municipal councillors, while in 2015, 15.2% fewer women were elected to this position," the CEC said.

The new Electoral Code, which entered into force on 1 January 2023, provides special conditions to boost women's participation in elections. Thus, for the first time, in the general local elections of 5 November 2023, the minimum representation quota for both sexes was 40%.