Peru's Congress Thursday approved a gender equality policy for election lists, to be effective on the next presidential polling in 2021.
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The Constitution and Regulations Commission and Women and Family Committees conceived the bill, which enforces that at least one woman must be included in the presidential and vice-presidential formula.
"The 2021 elections will be carried out with parity and alternation. Finally! Women will never again be mere fillers on the lists. With this act, Peru's history will begin to change," Congresswoman Zenaida Solis affirmed.
The regulation also establishes that the primary's lists of candidates must have equal numbers of women and men. However, candidates will receive their votes individually.
Lawmakers approved the draft with 111 votes in favor, 15 votes against, and one abstention. The new regulation will be tested on the candidate lists for the Peruvian congress and the Andean Parliament.
"Now it is time to insist on the elimination of the preferential vote, which today the Congressional Bureau refused to put to a vote", Solis stated.
According to the National Jury of Elections (JNE), 12,895 public officials were elected in the 2018 municipal and regional elections. However, only 26 percent of them were women.