This Gender Equality Law seeks to promote greater equality of opportunity between men and women in political participation and decision-making processes. The law was enacted in response to the persistent under-representation of women in elected bodies despite constitutional guarantees of equality and international commitments undertaken by the State. Its principal objective is to increase women's participation in legislative and local government institutions by establishing minimum representation requirements in electoral candidate lists and encouraging a more balanced distribution of political power between the sexes. To achieve these aims, the law requires political parties and coalitions to ensure that women constitute at least 36 per cent of candidates on electoral lists for the National People's Assembly and local authorities. It establishes mechanisms to enforce compliance, including notifications to correct non-conforming lists, public disclosure of violations, reductions in public campaign subsidies, and loss of certain fiscal benefits. The legislation also promotes internal party measures to advance women’s political rights, allocates resources for the promotion of women’s participation, and introduces financial and fiscal incentives for parties that attain or exceed prescribed levels of female representation. The law further requires periodic evaluation of its impact and provides for possible revision following assessment of its effectiveness in advancing gender parity in political decision-making.
Guinea-Bissau · 2018-12-04