The Mechanism of Quota in the Light of Electoral Code Regulations Introduced in 2011

Abstract

The article describes the process of introducing the electoral quota system into Polish legislation. This system is one of the most popular instruments forincreasing the participation of women in politics. Women are underrepresented in the Polish Parliament with only 23.9% of politicians being female. This situation was supposed to be changed by implementing the electoral quota system, which requires the equal number of 35% male and female candidates in the electoral polls for all parliamentary, district council and county council elections. The first draft of the electoral quota act was the Parity Act, proposed as one of the people’s legislative initiatives in 2009. The article also describes the attempts to increase the required number of 35% male and female candidates by implementing the clause which sets the rule of placing the names of female and male candidates alternately on the electoral polls, thesocalled “zipquota”.