On the occasion of the forthcoming local elections in BiH, in the presence of Head of the EU Delegation/EU Special Representative in BiH Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, a conference of female mayoral candidates was held in Sarajevo on 26 September in support of the involvement of women in BiH politics.
The symbolic name of the conference “Twenty six on the 26th: Who are the female mayoral candidates at the 2016 local elections in BiH” alludes to a total of 26 female candidates out of 417 candidates for key positions in the municipalities and cities in BiH and the burning issue of gender inequality in the country, in spite of the existing Law on Gender Equality.
Female candidates have presented interesting proposals for improving the conditions and quality of life in local communities, including the revival of agriculture and sustainable local tourism and creative solutions for families with children in municipalities that do not provide daycare for preschool and toddlers.
Ambassador Wigemark addressed the issue of the discouragingly low percentage of women active in BiH politics and expressed full support for female candidates to take an active and greater participation in politics.
“My message would be that all the women who are either running, or thinking of running but not doing it yet to do it, and for the women who already hold public office to try to bring in a new generation of women, because I think it is really needed. It is great to see the mayoral candidates today, but clearly it is not enough, the numbers speak for themselves,” Ambassador Wigemark said.
Together with the Swedish Ambassador to BiH, Anders Hagelberg, Ambassador Wigemark emphasised that the inclusion of women in all segments of the society is substantial on the country’s path to the EU.
The conference was held at the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH and was organised at the invitation of the EU Delegation to BiH, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the Heinrich Böll Foundation and CURE, and it represents an appeal to all political and social segments in BiH society to support the involvement of women in politics.
