Workshop on Parliaments and the Reform of Political Party Legislation. Second Working Group Meeting

Amman, Jordan, 18/12/2006 - 19/12/2006.

Organizer(s): Organized in partnership with the Al Urdun Al Jadid Research Center (UJRC).

The second meeting of the Working Group on Parliaments and the Reform of Political Party Legislation focused on the impact of political party legislation on the democratization of political parties in the Arab region. Building on a key recommendation of the Rabat meeting (March 17-19, 2006) it examined the issue of women’s political participation, more specifically women in political parties, through an examination of both the current and debated party laws and their possible contribution to reinforcing women’s representation in the political scene.

Elected members of parliament from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco discussed with researchers, experts (including experts from Algeria and Palestine), and prominent members from different Arab political parties a recently commissioned regional study highlighting the impact of party laws on the democratization of the political landscape in the Arab region. The second day was fully devoted to reviewing how some of the current, proposed, and new political party legislation address the issue of women in political parties, and what impact laws are likely to have on women’s access to elections and eventually to parliament.