After the elections in May, Vitoria-Gasteiz will have a female mayor and the general deputies of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa could also be women.
The presence of the woman in politics in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country has grown remarkably over the past 45 years. In the first municipal elections after the Franco regime, in 1979, the percentage of elected councilors was 7.1%. In the last municipal elections, in 2019, they won 46.3%.
The same has happened with the number of female mayors, which has increased from 1.3% to 30.2%, and with the number of deputies in the General Assemblies of Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba, which is the majority since 2019 – 54.2% -, compared to 6.1% in 1979.
After the elections on May 28, we will also see it for the first time a woman in charge of the city council of Vitoria-Gasteiz, as the candidates of the five main parties are women: Beatriz Artolazabal (PNV), Maider Etxebarria (PSE), Rocío Vitero (EHBildu), Ainhoa Domaica (PP) and Garbiñe Ruiz (Podemos). One of them is likely to become the first female mayor of the capital of Álava.
The same could also happen in the Provincial Councils of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. According to the studies conducted, Elixabete Etxanobe (PNV) has great potential to become a general deputy in Bizkaia. If she succeeds, she would become Bizkaia’s first deputy general.
Meanwhile, in Gipuzkoa, the two favorite candidates are Eider Mendoza (PNV) and Maddalen Iriarte (EHBildu). One of them could be the first deputy general of Gipuzkoa in history.
Graph Parity
The law regulates the electoral parity in the composition of the candidacies. A balanced presence of men and women must be ensured in municipal elections; not more than 60% and not less than 40% of each gender, in sections of 5 candidates. There is only one exception: in municipalities with a population equal to or less than 3,000 inhabitants, no form of electoral equality is required.
For its part, candidacies in elections to the General Assembly require a balanced presence of men and women, ie 50% of each gender in sections of 6 candidates.
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Source: EITB
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
