Gender composition of Georgian Sakrebulos

(results of October 5 elections, based on the Central Elections Commission data)

November 20, 2006
prepared by Tinatin MOSIASHVILI
photo by Galina Petriashvili

In correspondence with the elections’ results, local self-governance bodies were filled in; filling in took place in accordance to the new regulations.

Women of Kodori gorge and the regions of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, as well as Mtsketa Mtianeti turned out to be the most active. Who are they, the women winners?

According to the monitoring, 88 % of the elected women are members of the National Movement.

According to the latest data, women make 195 out of total 1750 Sakrebulo members (which is 11, 14 %).

Despite of the fact that during the pre-elections period National Movement had less women in its lists, compared to other political unions, the majority of the elected women are the members of this party or were presented by it (172, which is almost 88, 20 %).

It seems that the majority of women who got in Sakrebulos, have political flair, which encouraged them ‘to make friends’ with the ruling party.

As for the other parties, 7 women of the Labor Party, 5 women of the Davitashvili, Khidasheli, Berdzenishvili Bloc,  2 women of Topadze, the Industrialists, and 1 woman of Georgia’s Way where elected to the country’s Sakrebulos after being presented by initiative groups.

Women seem to be quite mistrusted in Batumi, Gurjaani, Kareli, Vani, Samtredia, Akhalkalaki – there were no women elected to these towns’ Sakrebulos.

Statistics

In the poling precinct of Upper Abkhazia (Kodori Gorge), 9 women got to Sakrebulos out of total 14 elected (64, 28 %), in Oni there are 8 women out of 28 persons (28, 57 %), in Akhmeta district there are 6 out of 25 (24 %), in Kvareli district there are 5 women out of 21 total (23, 8 %), in Tetritskaro precinct there are 7 women out of 30 (23, 33 %)... As for the urban area, in Rustavi, women are every fifth of the elected (3 out of 15, i.e. 20 %).

Information on the elected women

Final report on Monitoring the October 5 Elections

developed based on ISFED observation mission
22 November, 2006

	October 5 LOCAL SELF-GOVERNANCE ELECTIONS
	WOMEN CAN CHANGE LIFE TO BETTER!   Women's participation empowerment campaign Women's NGO Coalition of Georgia

Appeal of Coalition of Women NGOs
to the Leaders of all political parties of Georgia

Towards democracy – through political
collaboration of women and men

September 2006

Elections provide new opportunities for political and social changes – only period, when political leaders give high respect to the voters.

Georgia will suffer serious losses, if in local self-government elections there would not be taken advantage of the valuable resource – talented, educated and experienced women

At the governmental level women are poorly represented. In the Parliament women comprise only 9%, in local governments – 11%. Number of women at the official positions in the executive government is even lower.

To be involved in political processes and promote their political carrier, women actively participate in everyday life of political parties and routine work. As for the parties, in many cases they place women in the ends of the political lists, what is apparently not fair.

Political parties should provide wider opportunities for women to fully reveal their potential and give them chance to take leading positions.

Results of gender monitoring of Georgian political parties showed that women comprise about 30% of total number of political party members. Percentage of women participation is much lower in the management bodies of political parties and does not exceed 10%, or at the upper hierarchical level of political steps women are represented very poorly.

In 2006, for local self-government elections, Coalition of Women and Gender NGOs and Group Woman and Politics arrange campaign for support of women politicians, to promote growth of the role of women in political parties and the process of their coming into local self-government bodies.

For women politicians, low organizational culture in the political parties still remains one of the major issues: internal party structure; lack of party staff programs; absence of the developed strategies for women participation and promotion; process transparency in development of the voting lists.

This is the incomplete list of those barriers, which hinder gender equality in the political parties.

Achievement of gender equality within the political party is one of the significant components of modernization and democracy of the party. Western experience shows that the policy of increase of women participation helps the parties to strengthen links with the society and attraction of new electorate.

Increase of women’s role is of critical significance, as for fight against corruption, also for improvement of political stability, also growth of confidence in political parties and ensuring their smooth development.

Georgia declared its consent to comply with international standards in the sphere of gender equality:

• UN Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW);
• Peking Action Plan;
• UN Security Board Resolution No 1325.

Without gender equality policies the politics of the politics of close relationships of Georgia with the Europe would not be full. To achieve proportional participation of men and women in the decision making process EU assigns significant role to application of special measures.

We, as leaders of women organizations, continue our activities for activation of women in the politics and cooperate with all political parties, their leaders and members, to jointly deal with those constraints and difficulties, which hinder promotion of women in the politics.

We apply to political parties to make truly reformative steps and provide wider opportunities of leadership to women.

Coalition Parallel Campaign

15.06.2006

At the end of this year, local elections will take place. It is, maybe, the main event for the first half of the year, and the attention towards it is growing very high. Women are especially worried, as according to the new legislation, it will be even more difficult to them to get to power structures. Support of these women is the goal of the Coalition’s joint project. We entitled it Parallel Campaign for Promoting Women.

Maya Kuprava–Sharvashidze, Association of Single Parents; Woman and Politics Working Group; member of Parallel Campaign’s Consulting Group:

– Official title of the project is Assistance to Women’s Promotion at the Local Self-governance Bodies Election. But we call it a parallel campaign, or simple PC. This is a large project, where each working group works at its own smaller project. PC includes the work with political parties, with women MPs, with electorate, youth, all segments of the society. There will be meetings, round tables, seminars and actions held. We will start the work as soon as the conference is over.  The PC has its media-component, implemented by the Woman and Media working group through its network of national journalists. 

To hold internal coordination, special groups on information, analysis and technical work were created. Besides me, Tamar Abramishvili, Maya Russetsky, Tamar Bagratia, Nana Nazarova, Nino Shioshvili, Dzidzia Gudushauri, Tamar Macharashvili, Galina Petriashvili, Diana Mikadze, and Tinatin Mosiashvili work in it.

Among the Coalition members, there are women who plan to participate in the elections as candidates. Some will be observing the elections at the polls commissions.

Nino Sokhadze, member of the Coalition’s regional group, the chairwoman of Sakrebulo Association of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region, MP candidate:

– Since 1998 I have been actively involved in the process of self-governance, I used to be Sakrebulo secretary. My non-governmental organization works in this direction, and this is why I decided to participate in the elections in Ambrolauri district. I know, what does the electorate’s trust mean. I know how important it is, to have a sakrebulo member who really supports the idea of strengthening women. I want to serve my people.

It is generally highlighted that the National Movement placed their candidates everywhere. The fact is that elections commissions were staffed not on the basis of knowledge and competition. I do not know, how competitive the fight will be. Let’s see.

Veriko Bitsadze, member of the Coalition’s regional group, Shida Kartli:

– Under the Aegis of the European Observers Network, I was an observer at the most recent elections in Ukraine. It was a very interesting process. The electorate’s attitude towards the elections was so outstanding. It was a very interesting experience for the upcoming elections here. The Coalition’s groups will be actively involved in this process. Although, people here are already a bit tired of going to elections, but the fact is that our future depends on whom we elect.