Prague, July 1 (CTK) – The Czech government rejected Wednesday a draft amendment raising women’s share on the lists of candidates for the general and regional polls to at least 40 percent, Jiri Stanek, from the office of Jiri Dienstbier (Social Democrats, CSSD), human rights and legislation minister, has said.
The draft amendment to the election bill was presented by Dienstbier together with Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (CSSD).
According to CTK’s information, the ministers for the two other government coalition parties, ANO and the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), rejected the bill.
The draft amendment aimed to raise women’s participation in public and political life. In the latest general election in October 2013 and in the latest regional election last autumn, women constituted one quarter of candidates and they eventually have a roughly one-fifth representation in the Chamber of Deputies and regional assemblies.
The draft amendment stipulated for men and women having an equal representation in the first two positions on every list of candidates. If more candidates are nominated, “each sex will have a minimal representation of 40 percent,” the amendment says.
It also sets fines for the failure to observe the minimal representation of men and women, but only for the parties that would enter the Chamber of Deputies and regional assemblies.
