Guatemalan Lawmakers Reject Gender Equality in Electoral Bill

Guatemala’s lower chamber did not approve on Wednesday a provision that sought to promote proportional representation of female and indigenous candidates in local elections.

With 86 votes against, 30 in favor and 42 abstentions, the representatives rejected the reform of the electoral bill, which was initially a demand of women's groups.

Before the vote, women activists gathered in front of the Congress in a bid to pressure legislators to approve the text.

Most of the legislators that voted against the gender equality provision belonged to right-wing parties, including: Movimiento Reformador, Frente de Convergencia Nacional (FCN-Nación), Compromiso, Renovación y Orden (CREO), Partido de Avanzada Nacional (PAN), Visión y Valores (ViVa) and Unión del Cambio Nacional (UCN).