Algeria passes women’s quota draft bill

The Algerian government Wednesday passed a preliminary draft bill on women’s representation in elected assemblies which should not be less than 30 percent.

• According to the draft bill, political parties can benefit from exceptional financial aid from the Stat in accordance to the number of elected women candidates.
•  
• The draft bill came to determine mechanisms meant to end inequality between men and women. It imposes quota system and alternation principle in candidates’ list.
•  
• Women’s representation in the People’s National Assembly (APN) is estimated at 7.7 percent. That means 30 women deputies out of 389 and 3 percent in the Council of Nation (Senate). That means 5 seats out of 144 senators.
•  
• Figures show that there are only two female mayors in Algeria while there is female prefect.
•  
• The legislator considers that those figures are in contradiction with Algeria’s texts and international commitments. Because of that President Bouteflika put standards to end discrimination against women. 
•  
• One of the main constitutional amendments was the expansion of women’s representation in elected assemblies so that they will have larger representation in the political life.