Breaking down the results of the Senate, The Chamber of Deputies (both together their Congress) and the new Plurinational Legislative Assembly. Their ranking in the world in terms of the percentage. The new laws to increase participation of women in all forms of the legislature. The high level of violence of women in the legislature and the new law criminalising violence in women. Lastly a quick summary of senior positions in other sectors of society i.e. public services and the judiciary.
Bolivia held its general election on the 6th of December, 2009 with the socialist movement MAS winning 64% of the electoral vote giving Evo Morales a second term in office.
The Senate has 47% out of 36 seats taken by women making it ranked number 1 in the world in terms of percentage of the upper house (taking into account that there are not always 2 houses of a congress in all countries, if it was still ranked in terms of the more powerful house of the senate, it would still be 1st).
The Chamber of Deputies has 25% out of 130 seats held by women making it ranked joint number 42 in terms of percentage of the lower house. This is above many developed countries notably higher than the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Japan and less so, but still higher than France, Italy, Greece, Poland and Israel. Interestingly Rwanda tops the list with 56% of seats.
Under the new constitution, there is a new Plurinational Legislative Assembly with 30% being women.
Also under the new constitution is the Woman's Quota Act similar to the one implemented by the current administration in Argentina of President Cristina Fernandez, but more progressive. In both countries 30% of all seats in local government such as councillers and Congress must be women. However in Bolivia, 50% of all candidates must also be women. How this would be enforced is not clear. 49% of candidates in the election were women and the Chamber of Deputies had 25% of seats for women, both just under the quota, however significantly higher than before.
There is a high level of violence targetted against women in all political seats from local goverment to the legislature in Bolivia. The majority of councillers who were women from the previous election have not sought a second term because of the violence against them. New laws have been drafted and are to be implemented to strengthen laws made in 2009 to crimalise gender-based violence in politics.
In other areas, the mayor of Bolivia's biggest city in it's biggest state is not only now a woman, Dr Ana Maria Encina, but was and continues to be the president of The National Association of Council Women of Bolivia (ACOBOL). Although I do not know her political leanings, I assume she is very left leaning because ACOBOL is a part Indian based organisation. Though traditionally a right-wing seat, Evo Morales got 44% of the vote here in the 2009 election, round 20% more than the last election, so it is possible for the left-wing to win a majority in Santa Cruz.
There are concerns about lack of women in senior positions in the public service and especially the judiciary. Lack of any position in the judiciary worldwide whether senior or not is an unaddressed problem because it is not often discussed the range of their power per country. Iraq and Afghanistan for example have a higher percentage of women in congress than the UK, but hides the lack of women in the decision making judiciary. The differences between countries' power of the judiciary comperative to the legislatures' is not discussed extently, so where women may have progressed in the legislature, it may be that doesn't create significant change. In comparison to Bolivia, the United Kingdom has a very low percentage of judges and almost no senior judges. The United States seem to have a more equal percentage of women to men ratio with 30% across the board in all positions, but is still no way near equal.
Website with article on results and some links to ACOBOL and some recent Bolivian laws.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/carolina-gottardo-maria-eugenia-rojas/violence-and-democracy-in-bolivia
Progress on Land Reform for women and Land Reform in general in Bolivia.
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/2232-bolivia-women-clamour-for-right-to-land
World ranking of upper and lower houses of the legislature. (Bolivia has not been added yet due to the recent election and is at the bottom with a question mark)
http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm
American statistics of judges by the National Association of Women's Judges
http://www.nawj.org/us_state_court_statistics_2010.asp
The Senate has 47% out of 36 seats taken by women making it ranked number 1 in the world in terms of percentage of the upper house (taking into account that there are not always 2 houses of a congress in all countries, if it was still ranked in terms of the more powerful house of the senate, it would still be 1st).
The Chamber of Deputies has 25% out of 130 seats held by women making it ranked joint number 42 in terms of percentage of the lower house. This is above many developed countries notably higher than the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Japan and less so, but still higher than France, Italy, Greece, Poland and Israel. Interestingly Rwanda tops the list with 56% of seats.
Under the new constitution, there is a new Plurinational Legislative Assembly with 30% being women.
Also under the new constitution is the Woman's Quota Act similar to the one implemented by the current administration in Argentina of President Cristina Fernandez, but more progressive. In both countries 30% of all seats in local government such as councillers and Congress must be women. However in Bolivia, 50% of all candidates must also be women. How this would be enforced is not clear. 49% of candidates in the election were women and the Chamber of Deputies had 25% of seats for women, both just under the quota, however significantly higher than before.
There is a high level of violence targetted against women in all political seats from local goverment to the legislature in Bolivia. The majority of councillers who were women from the previous election have not sought a second term because of the violence against them. New laws have been drafted and are to be implemented to strengthen laws made in 2009 to crimalise gender-based violence in politics.
In other areas, the mayor of Bolivia's biggest city in it's biggest state is not only now a woman, Dr Ana Maria Encina, but was and continues to be the president of The National Association of Council Women of Bolivia (ACOBOL). Although I do not know her political leanings, I assume she is very left leaning because ACOBOL is a part Indian based organisation. Though traditionally a right-wing seat, Evo Morales got 44% of the vote here in the 2009 election, round 20% more than the last election, so it is possible for the left-wing to win a majority in Santa Cruz.
There are concerns about lack of women in senior positions in the public service and especially the judiciary. Lack of any position in the judiciary worldwide whether senior or not is an unaddressed problem because it is not often discussed the range of their power per country. Iraq and Afghanistan for example have a higher percentage of women in congress than the UK, but hides the lack of women in the decision making judiciary. The differences between countries' power of the judiciary comperative to the legislatures' is not discussed extently, so where women may have progressed in the legislature, it may be that doesn't create significant change. In comparison to Bolivia, the United Kingdom has a very low percentage of judges and almost no senior judges. The United States seem to have a more equal percentage of women to men ratio with 30% across the board in all positions, but is still no way near equal.
Website with article on results and some links to ACOBOL and some recent Bolivian laws.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/carolina-gottardo-maria-eugenia-rojas/violence-and-democracy-in-bolivia Progress on Land Reform for women and Land Reform in general in Bolivia.
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/2232-bolivia-women-clamour-for-right-to-land World ranking of upper and lower houses of the legislature. (Bolivia has not been added yet due to the recent election and is at the bottom with a question mark)
http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm American statistics of judges by the National Association of Women's Judges
http://www.nawj.org/us_state_court_statistics_2010.asp
