As in past elections, on October 6, 2019 Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) appealed for increased participation from, and the representation of, women in politics and the decision-making process. 

Under the campaign “Vote for more women in parliament”, 200 volunteers went door-to-door talking to citizens about the importance of voting for more women in parliament. Between September 25 and 29, volunteers met with citizens in over 15 municipalities of Kosovo including those that speak primarily Serbian.  

Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) in Kosovo and a German member of European Parliament (PE), was introduced to this campaign during a joint-meeting with KWN Executive Director, Igballe Rogova, on October 3rd. 

Rogova raised her concern about the lack of implementation of the Law on Gender Equality (LGE) by political parties. Even though the law requires equal representation of men and women, this was not achieved during these elections.

The issue of women’s participation was also raised by the EU Election Observation Mission through a Press Release following the outcome of the elections.  

The Press Release acknowledged that the elections were well-administered and transparent but also indicated that “political parties have not adopted sufficient affirmative measures to achieve equal representation between genders inside political parties, especially in local levels. Gender Equality yet has not been enough incorporated in law and relevant policies”. 

The EU EOM in Kosovo operates independently under their own specific mandates.  

Note that supporting women’s participation in politics and decision-making is part of the KWN Strategy 2019-2022.  

READ ALSO: KWN Appeals: Vote for More Women in Parliament.