Georgia Passes Law Abolishing Women's Quotas in Parliamentary Elections

The Parliament of Georgia has approved in the third and final reading a law that abolishes women's quotas in party lists for parliamentary elections.

85 lawmakers voted in favor of the amendments to the electoral code, while 22 voted against. The legislative change was initiated by the opposition political group 'Girchi'. According to the current article of the electoral code, in each quartet of nominated candidates on party lists participating in parliamentary elections, there must be at least one woman.

The initiators believe that women in Georgia face no obstacles in pursuing political careers and that a special quota for them is unnecessary. They argue that the presence of quotas in legislation suggests that women are allegedly oppressed in the country.