ISSUE No. 9/1999

Winning Women s Votes Means Winning Elections

by Reni Timcheva, Project Leader

Women's Society "Ekaterina Karavelova" is a national association, which has 14 regional structures throughout the country. The society was registered in December 1998. Its main objectives are to stimulate the civil activity of contemporary Bulgarian women, to support and protect the right to women to professional growth, to affirm the liberal-democratic values - dialogue, tolerance, humanity and charity.

The society won a project with the Mama Cash Dutch Foundation and the British Westminster Foundation for Democracy on "Women s Place in Government (Local Elections - 1999) . The project aims at stimulating voters towards exercising an active suffrage for solving of regional problems (regardless of the political affiliation of the candidates).

Women participate in government not just directly, as MPs or local councilors, but also by adopting an active citizen's position through exercising the right to vote. Democracy development in Bulgaria depends mainly on the public participation in decision-making. Women will play a particularly important role for the solving of local problems related to:

protection of human rights, with an emphasis on the rights of women and children;

decentralization of power, and the participation of women in the civil control of institutions;

education;

unemployment;

opening and management of small businesses;

fight against corruption;

environmental protection;

the social integration of women in the period of transition to a market economy.

According to statistical data, the number of women in legislative and executive power has been steadily going down since 1990 - the beginning of democratic changes in Bulgaria. The difficult economic situation in the country and growing unemployment, especially among women, are reasons for their withdrawal from public life. But it is precisely women who, with their pragmatism, credibility, intuition and tolerance, can act as good mediators and initiators for solving specific local and regional problems.

The project envisages organizing of four seminars. At the national seminar, which was held in September in Sofia, a not too optimistic picture was outlined, concerning the equal rights of women and men in Bulgaria. With regard to women, a tendency of extreme impoverishment is observed; their chances on the labor market are limited and at the same time, their work burden is considerably higher. The State does not guarantee a minimum degree of education; no mechanisms are put in place to ensure the constitutional equality of men and women before the law; women are not protected against violence especially when it happens at home. Bulgarian healthcare is targeted at women only in terms of potential young mothers. Lonely mothers and the disabled are not socially protected.

His Excellency the Ambassador of Sweden, Mr Sten Ask, brought in a feeling of encouragement. He acquainted the participants in the seminar with the role of women in government in Sweden. The parliamentary elections which took place in Sweden in September 1994, are historic because of the breakthrough of women in Swedish political life. Women won 142 out of 349 seats in the Swedish Riksdag, which accounts for nearly 41 per cent. Women in Sweden enjoy a comparatively strong position in the municipal and regional councils. This is due to the fact that the ruling Social-Democratic Party strictly observes the principle of equality in drawing up the pre-election lists - this in practice means that every second candidate is a woman. The ruling political concept is that the progress of society towards democracy can only be achieved, if the competence, knowledge, experience and values of both men and women are recognized, in order to influence and enrich the development of all public sectors. May Bulgarian men understand that fact. Nearly 52 per cent of the population of Bulgaria are women, therefore whoever wins their votes, will win the elections.