Advocacy triggers tangible electoral results in Bolivia

The 2009 elections saw Bolivian women win 47 per cent of the seats in the Senate and occupy half of the ministries after the national elections. This was a direct result of the Temporary Electoral Law mandate securing gender equality and parity, with provision for the alternation of male and female candidates on partyvoting lists. Besides the solid increase in the number of women in the Senate (up from 3 percent in the 2005 elections), the number of women in the Chamber of Deputies also increased, and now lies at 25 per cent. This means that today, the Plurinational Legislative Assembly comprises 30 per cent women.

Why did women do so well? President Evo Morales had much to do with this, calling for women to make up 50 per cent of all government positions. His call was taken up by the Women's Coordinating Committee which, with support from International IDEA and several local partner organizations, launched a campaign with the slogan "We share your dream, Mr President". This campaign resulted in the drafting and approval of Article 9 of the Temporary Electoral Law that crucially deals with equity opportunities for women and men.

During this campaign, International IDEA provided various inputs including dissemination of its publications on boosting women's participation and quotas, and facilitating a women's caucus across party lines that gave more prominence to gender issues and promoted networking. IDEA also conducted a series of three day training courses across Bolivia to around 150 women candidates covering thedetails of the electoral framework, how to present oneself as a candidate, and how to boost women's participation in the political process.

This work built on IDEA's previous engagement in Bolivia during the constitutional reform process prior to 2009, when training was provided to women members of the Constituent Assembly to develop the new constitution. Seminars were arranged that included people from other Latin American countries, facilitatingthe sharing of experiences and good practices. The seminar framework was based on a similar model used by IDEA in Nepal and Peru during their constitutional reform processes.