Women account for half of Cyprus's population, but only 29.7% of candidates standing in the 24 May parliamentary elections, Gender Equality Commissioner Josie Christodoulou said on Thursday, warning that the figures reveal a persistent deficit in equal political participation.
In a statement timed to the close of the official candidacy submission period, Christodoulou said that balanced representation in the House of Representatives is a prerequisite for passing legislation that genuinely reflects the needs of society as a whole. Of the record 753 candidates registered for the upcoming vote, just 224 are women, against 529 men.
Outreach and concrete measures
Christodoulou recalled that her office had engaged in a series of meetings with women's organisations within the National Machinery for Women's Rights, as well as with the leaders and representatives of parliamentary parties, to press the case for greater female participation on candidate lists. Those conversations, she said, underscored the need for specific, practical measures to encourage and meaningfully support women's entry into politics, particularly in electable positions.
"I am hopeful that this picture will change through the verdict of the citizens and that the new House of Representatives will have increased female representation, so as to genuinely reflect the composition and needs of our society," Christodoulou said. "Gender equality between women and men is not a choice. It is a social imperative. And it is all our responsibility to fulfil it."
