Although the ten political organizations in the electoral race formally complied with the parity and alternation regulations for presenting candidates, the analysis by the Gender Observatory of the Women's Coordinator reveals a worrying reality: women are still denied access to the spaces with the greatest visibility and
likelihood of election.
Of the 10 registered presidential candidates, only one has a woman as a presidential candidate, and another as a vice-presidential candidate. This is the lowest female presence in candidates since 2009. The same is true for the multi-member lists: only 37 women head the lists compared to 57 men, despite the fact that women represent more than 50% of the main candidates overall.
At least seven political organizations presented incomplete lists, a legal but strategic practice used to avoid applying the alternation principle. By registering an even number of candidates, they avoided having women at the top of the lists, which is mandatory for odd-numbered lists. This same logic was replicated in the special indigenous and supranational candidacies.
Cases such as Súmate and the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) are illustrative: they presented only four candidacies for special deputies, but failed to comply with the requirement that, in this case, all must be headed by women, in accordance with Article 15.II of the Electoral Regulations.
In contrast, in Cochabamba, all organizations registered women as candidates for the special deputies, which guarantees that, regardless of the election result, a woman will occupy that seat.
From the Together We Make History Movement, the National Coalition Against Electoral Disinformation, Observa Bolivia, OXFAM, and the Gender Observatory of the Women's Coordinator, we urge the Supreme Electoral Tribunal to rigorously apply verification mechanisms during the correction stage, rejecting lists that do not comply with the regulations. Likewise, it is proposed that future processes require that at least 50% of the multi-member lists be headed by women, to ensure substantive rather than just formal representation.
Political organizations are also called upon to guarantee compliance with the principle of parity throughout the process, including the replacement of candidates, preserving regulatory advances and the strengthening of democracy.
Download the full Gender Observatory bulletin and learn about the data on compliance with parity on political organizations' lists.
