In addition to the absence of gender quotas for candidates running for mayor, Albanian legislation does not regulate the distribution of campaign funds by electoral subjects for their candidates, which could result in women candidates receiving fewer campaign funds.
Furthermore, disadvantaged groups, particularly women from these groups, remain significantly underrepresented in political and public life, including elected bodies, government, and public administration at both central and local levels, as well as in the State Police or the Armed Forces. For example, during the recent local elections in May 2023, out of 23,763 candidates running for 1,603 local councilor positions, only nine were members of the Roma community. There is no available information on the gender of these candidates nor on the participation of persons with disabilities, including women with disabilities as voters and candidates.
Similarly, no women from disadvantaged communities are currently serving in the Parliament or in the Council of Ministers. The only woman with disabilities who previously served as Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Health and Social Protection left that position several years ago. Other legislative gaps include the lack of specific protections against violence targeting women in politics and elections.
Violence against women in elections includes various forms of attacks, intimidation, and online harassment aimed at excluding women from politics simply because they are women. In Albania, gender stereotypes, heightened scrutiny of women candidates’ private lives and appearance (instead of focusing on their professional achievements), and unethical attacks from both political opponents and members of their own political parties were evident during the 2021 general elections. These practices were widely reflected and/or amplified by the media.
A legal analysis has identified several gaps in legal provisions addressing various forms of violence against women in politics.
Based on these findings, the CEDAW Committee, in its most recent Concluding Observations addressed to Albania in October 2023, recommended the following:
- Ensure the capacity-building of women candidates in political leadership and campaign skills, as well as equal access to campaign funds for women candidates;
- Adopt temporary special measures, such as statutory quotas and a gender parity system, in line with Article 4 (1) of the Convention and General Recommendation No. 25 (2004) on temporary special measures, to ensure equal representation of women, including rural women, women with disabilities, women belonging to ethnic minorities, and lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex women, in the Parliament, municipal councils, government, civil service, and diplomatic service, particularly at decision-making levels;
- Strengthen mechanisms to prevent hate speech against women politicians and candidates in political and public discourse, including online; and prevent harassment and threats against them. This should include strengthening reporting and monitoring mechanisms, requiring all political parties to adopt codes of conduct to promote gender equality and combat harassment against female candidates and activists, as well as holding social media companies accountable for discriminatory content created by users.
To further support women candidates in the electoral process, UN Women Albania and the Central Election Commission of Albania have collaborated to prepare an informative guide on the electoral process in Albania for women candidates planning to run as members of political parties or as independent candidates, including women from underrepresented communities.
You can find this information at the following link.
