By Ma. del Pilar Abente Lahaye
This article is a continuation of the first in the series “Parity in the PLRA“, which explained how the process to approve gender parity in the party bylaws was carried out. In this article we will discuss what this initiative consists of, its characteristics and implications.
Before the statutory modification, the PLRA already foresaw a 33% quota for women (minimum one woman for every 3 candidates) in the plurinominal lists for municipal and national party positions. This constituted a significant advance with respect to the 20% quota established in the Electoral Code. However, the implementation of the quota had relative effects. Although in theory it was supposed to establish a minimum number of women, it ended up constituting a participation ceiling. Although at the beginning the quota increased the presence of women in decision-making bodies, in practice and over the years, it prevented the advancement of women’s political participation. As a result, almost 30 years after the approval of the quota in the Electoral Code, we still have an average of under 20% presence of women in electoral positions.
This situation motivated the modification of the party’s statutes. The text approved by the Extraordinary Convention of the PLRA, last March 13, 2022, established the following:
“Art. 91: The lists of candidates for national, departmental, municipal and/or party positions shall be composed of 50% men and 50% women. They shall be placed in an alternate and consecutive manner, from the first candidate to the last substitute of each one of them, with the purpose of not having two persons of the same gender on the same list in succession. If the list is made up of an odd number of candidates, the difference between male and female candidates may not exceed one.
In constituencies where there is only one seat and therefore the list is composed of one person, he/she may be the only candidate of either sex.”
The new provision is limited to internal party elections and does not apply to general elections. In addition, it affects popularly elected party, municipal and national offices. Party Committees, Board Members, Municipal Boards, Departmental Boards, Senate and Chamber of Deputies. The text is clear when it includes both titular and substitute lists. The alternate list must also be parity.
The inclusion of parity in the party statutes constitutes a historic step, not only for the women of our country, but also for our democracy. At the end of the day, with more women in politics, institutions will be more oriented to address issues that today are insufficiently addressed and do not allow for the removal of barriers that unfairly unequal opportunities for men and women in political competition (as well as in other spheres such as work)
The provision does not apply to presidential or uninominal lists, only to collegiate or plurinominal positions of popular election. Now that the lists have been established, the result of the preferential vote will not be altered in any case; that is to say, those who receive more preferential votes in the internal elections will be those who integrate the party lists, in the order of votes received, regardless of gender.
Another consideration is that the new text establishes a minimum and a maximum of 50% of women. In other words, there cannot be more women than 50% nor more than 50% men in the internal elections. Logically, this may result, after the vote, in a list composed of 70% men and 30% women, or vice versa, or even 100% and 0%, always following the distribution of votes.
In addition to the above, the current article 91 of the PLRA statutes provides for alternation in the composition of the lists. That is to say, the integration of such internal lists must be ordered by sex: male-female-male-male-female, or vice versa (without prejudice of how the final list of the party is formed according to the electoral system in force).
Finally, it is expressly provided that in case of odd lists there may be a difference of up to one (one more man or one more woman) and in districts with only one seat the candidate may be of either sex.
Regarding the results of the preferential vote (following the last modifications of the electoral system), a parity result cannot be guaranteed, but it is understood that the greater the number of female candidates, the more women have the possibility of being elected. This has already been seen in some cases which, although they are not necessarily the rule, demonstrate the above. One such case is the municipality of José Leandro Oviedo, department of Itapúa, where both the PLRA and the ANR presented parity lists for the Municipal Board, which resulted, despite the preferential voting system, in greater parity in the election of male and female councilmen and councilwomen.
The inclusion of parity in the party statutes constitutes a historic step, not only for the women of our country, but also for our democracy. At the end of the day, with more women in politics, institutions will be more oriented to address issues that today are insufficiently addressed and do not allow for the removal of barriers that unfairly unequal opportunities for men and women in political competition (as well as in other spheres such as work). For example, women are still responsible for care in the home, while at the same time there are insufficient public policies to reverse the situation, such as childcare centers (day care centers) to facilitate work and involvement in public affairs, full-time schooling (or at least adequate to work schedules), adequate public transportation. In addition, there are more specific political difficulties, such as unequal access to political financing, gender-based political violence and gender bias.
With parity, these issues will have a better chance of being addressed and solved in party and state levels. Consequently, the results of democracy will also improve, as the problems that affect the lives of all people will be addressed from a women’s perspective. In the last municipal elections, only 16% of the incumbent lists were composed of 50% or more women. Given the overwhelming disproportion of men in elected office, women’s political and social rights naturally lag behind-in a vicious cycle that then prevents more women from participating in politics. This is what we in the PLRA want to redress.
Image source: Melissa Gavilán (Liberal Women’s Gathering 2021)