ELECTORAL REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN ON NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEVEL: ARE WOMEN FIT TO GOVERN IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA?

Abstract

Women’s political representation is a key precondition for a better reach and involvement of women in policy making. In order for policy outcomes to take into account the needs and concerns of both gender groups, the institutional architecture in a democratic society should be based on the principles of equal opportunities for men and women. Gender- sensitive policy-making is best achieved through equal participation of men and women in the policy-making process. The Macedonian approach to the process of empowering women and developing awareness has been considered as positive, with women participating as active drivers of change. However, the number of women represented on national and local level of government indicates that we are still far away from achieving full gender parity and equal opportunities. In this article, we analyse a common theme in the literature – women in politics. More precisely, we examine the presence of women in government on national and local level in the Republic of North Macedonia. In the country, there are 80 local self-government units. For the purpose of this study, official data from the State Election Commission’s database and official gazettes of the country and local self-governing units will be used. The research aims to uncover discrepancies in women’s electoral participation at the national and local levels, as well as similarities and variances between municipalities and diverse patterns of women’s electoral representation at the local level.