Will women's representation in future government be measured by percentage

An important fact that has been assessed about the 6 October parliamentary elections concerns that the majority of women elected in the assembly have managed to secure the MP's position by vote and not through gender quota.

The quota system in Kosovo for the first time applied to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in 2000. According to one regulation, this mission required that at least 30 percent of candidates on party lists be female. In this setting, it was required that 30 percent of the legislature be made by women.

But beyond the quota, there is also the Law on gender equality which envisions an equal representation of genders, in running and representation.

Blerta Aliu from the Kosovo Democratic Institute, in a conversation for Radio Free Europe, says the gender quota has presented positive effects, but it prefers that parties or political subjects competing in elections have 50 per cent female candidates on their lists.

Yet even this year, we have not seen political subjects' readiness in this direction. Most of them have followed their 30 percent quota because of a legal obligation. However, it would be ideal to have equal competition and then make the Parliament more equal than it is today”, Aliu said.

Meanwhile, Luljeta Demolli, executive director at the Kosovar Centre for Gender Studies, says gender quotas in general parliamentary elections held on October 6th showed maximum effects, as women were voted more than in other election cycles.

Despite that, it requires political subjects who will succeed in establishing the new government, implementing the Law on gender equality.

“would need the Law for Gender Equality respected to the proper extent in Kosovo, which has not happened so far. We expect this time to reflect leadership and be a year of gender equality, 50 percent in government. To exceed this quota and change this discurs, as all countries are advancing in this direction and why Kosovo remains last in gender equality”, Demolli said.

According to the Law on Gender Equality “the uneven representation is when the participation or representation of one gender is lower than 50 percent in any organ and decision-making level in political and public life”.

The participation of women in decision-making in Kosovo is considered to be small, despite legal demand, Demolli says, adding that patriarchal mentality still dominates political parties.

“Votors showed they are for gender equality, voted women and believed to be deputies. But political parties are the ones that are patriarchal and are not in their political will to change things or are not yet pro-genital equality”, Demolli says.

Even Blerta Aliu from the Kosovo Democratic Institute says the political participation of women is gradually increasing, though gender inequality, according to her, remains evident in decision-making positions due to the lack of willingness of political parties.

“If we see the unwillingness to make the electoral lists by 50 percent, but also given the experiences of past governments where the number of women in leadership positions has been extremely low, then we can say we don't notice a maturity and a willingness of political leaders and subjects to give equal space to these”, Aliu said.

The Vetevendosje Movement as the winner of the elections and the Democratic League of Kosovo, as the second party, have started negotiations on the future ruling coalition. In terms of gender representation, the candidate for prime minister, Albin Kurti, the leader of Vetevendosje and the deputy chairman of the Democratic League, Vjosa Osmani had claimed they agreed that 30 per cent of the next government would make up women.

Under sensationalising initiatives for equal representation and leadership, Germany's Ambassador to Kosovo, Christian Heldt, said on Wednesday in Pristina, during the launch of the project “Academia for leadership and empowering women and girls for decision-making processes in Kosovo”, that women's empowerment represents a enrichment in politics, economy and for the whole society.

While the Kosovo Assembly is expected to have at least 38 parliamentary women, it remains to be seen what representation in the government will be. Another issue that has been constantly raised as concern over women's representation and participation in decision-making is related to local government, as all 38 Kosovo municipalities are led by men.