Bill calls for the voiding of all candidacies which do not comply with that law

The Bill 4407/08, which is being processed at the Chamber, amends Electoral Law (9.504/97) and aims at obliging political parties to effectively comply with the minimum quota of 30% for female candidacies in elections.

Authored by the Deputy Vanessa Grazziotin (PCdoB-AM), the bill punishes the non-complying with the measure with the voiding of the registration request of that party’s candidacies.

Reservation
The prevailing law determines that each party or association should reserve at least 30% of the candidacies to representatives of each gender. Vanessa Grazziotin, though, understands that the verb “reserve” represents a gap that allows them to swindle that rule.

"They speak there about reserving a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 70% to each gender, which allows the understanding that, if male candidates do not reach 70%, the 30% of female reservation, although not occupied by any woman, keep being reserved”, she affirms.

The deputy’s bill rules that women have to correspond to 30% of the registered candidacies. Due to the suggested penalty, she expects the effective compliance with that rule.

Female performance
Vanessa Grazziotin affirms that, despite being provided for in law, the minimum quota for female candidates in Brazilian elections has changed little in the scenario of male predominance.

"In the 2004 elections, the percentage of female candidates has changed little regarding 2000. From 19% [candidates] to 12% [elected], in 2000, to 22% and 13%, respectively, in 2004”, says the deputy.

In the 2008 elections, women kept being the minority. Those who were elected as mayors of their municipalities already in first turn represented 9.16% of the total of candidates elected to the city halls. In 2004, that rate was 7.32%, and, in 2000, 5.72%.

Procedure
The bill will be analyzed by the Committee on the Constitution and Justice and Citizenship and by the House Floor.

Report - Noéli Nobre
Editing - Newton Araújo
Translation - Positive Idiomas Ltda