Members of the Platform for Gender Equality distributed flowers to MPs on 4 March. The action was held at the entrances to the Parliament, just before the plenary session. Civil society representatives, who offered red and white flowers to lawmakers, said that in this way they wanted to remind elected officials that 8 March is the day when we celebrate equal rights for women and men, transmitted IPN.

The President of the Platform, Ms Valentina Bodrug-Lungu, said that by means of this action they will remind MPs that it was time to return to the formula “1 + 1”. According to her, elected officials should adopt legislative amendments to ensure equality between women and men. “The Moldovan Parliament must already be 50-50. They should also adopt the draft law no. 180 on quotas. We pleaded for quotas as a tool for promoting gender equality,” said Ms Bodrug-Lungu.

The Secretary General of the NGO Council, Ms Antoniţa Fonari, also a member of the Platform, noted that the approval of legislative changes in this area will bring more women into Parliament, but also in many other leadership positions in business and public administration. Ms Fonari said that although women have obtained their first rights over 100 years ago, their presence in the public space is still reduced.

Mr Andrei Brighidin from East Europe Foundation said that any citizen can give flowers to women on the occasion of 8 March, but only MPs have the power to adopt the draft law no.180. In his view, this legislation package, by setting the minimum quota of representation, will lead to ensuring de facto equality in decision-making. He said that only when men and women are fairly represented in Parliament can there be a sustainable society.

MPs reacted differently at the gesture of civil society representatives. Some lawmakers were happy about the flowers, some others refused to take them. MPs also received leaflets with reminders of their promise to vote in legislative changes to ensure equality between women and men.

Source: www.consiliulong.md