Elections

Women account for 27% of Bulgaria's new National Assembly (parliament), elected by a snap vote on June 9 and sworn in on June 19. After the European elections, which, in Bulgaria, coincided with the vote for the national legislature, the country sent only four women to the European Parliament, where it has been allocated 17 seats, the Ekaterina Karavelova Foundation says in an analysis published on its website.

The foundation's mission is to encourage women to spearhead the process of transformation in society.

Abuse of female election candidates is becoming worse, say candidates, activists and charities.

One female Labour candidate in the north of England said “the harassment continues apace” in the build-up to the election, with online harassment being a particular problem.

Today’s Guardian report that online harassment against women politicians is intensifying is unsurprising, but it indicates a serious problem in UK democracy. There are two important factors to consider here.

The average age of the candidates standing on Flemish parties’ lists for the federal elections on 9 June is 47. Never before in the past 37 years was the average age of the candidates seeking election to the Chamber of Representatives so high. Meanwhile, the percentage of women with “electable” places, a position on the party’s electoral lists with which they stand a realistic chance of being elected, has fallen for the first time.

In pioneering Lithuania, the first all-women list in the country’s political history has been unveiled. 

The Lithuanian Greens are hoping that this list will help more women get elected to the European Parliament, where men still make up around 60% of the members. 

The candidates are also trying to draw attention to other gender issues, such as the pay gap.