DUSHANBE, February 20, 2010, Asia-Plus — Coalition of public associations, From Legal Equality to Actual Equality, gave a news conference at the Center for Strategic Studies in Dushanbe on February 19.
The main objective of the event was to draw attention of media and voters to issues related to the promotion of women in lawmaking organs and women nominated as candidates for parliament by public associations.
Speaking at the event, the coalition chairperson, Ms. Tatiana Bozrikova, noted, “The coalition of public associations draws attention to the fact that despite efforts taken to boost the number of women in leading positions and state guarantees of gender balance in all branches of power provided for by the country’s law on state guarantees of equal rights for men and women and equal opportunities for their Implementation, men are continuing to prevail in decision-making centers.” Therefore, the coalition calls on voters to support women candidates and promote increase in the number of women in the lawmaking organs, she added.
According to her, only 37 women have been registered as candidates for parliament on political party lists (15) and in single-mandate constituencies (22). The People’s Democratic Party (PDPT) nominated 14 women as candidates for parliament, Islamic Revival Party (IRPT) – 7 women, the Communist Party (CPT), the Agrarian Party (APT), the Social-Democratic Party (SDPT) and the Party of Economic Reforms – 2 women each, and the Socialist Party (SPT) nominated one woman as candidate for parliament.
“Women, except those nominated by ruling PDPT, stand little chance of being elected and their number in the parliament may even reduce compared to the outgoing parliament,” said Bozrikova, “In 2005, 34 women were registered as candidates for the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) and only 11 of them were elected, which is only 18 percent of the overall number of members of the Majlisi Namoyandagon.”
She pointed out an important role of media in promoting increase in the number of women in the parliament. “The more women in parliament the more positive changes in the country,” Bozrikova noted.
