Vitoria (EFE).- Basque women councilors have gone from 7% in 1979 to the current 46%, a presence of women in politics that will take another step forward in the elections on May 28.
There will be the first female mayor in a capital, Vitoria, since all the main candidates are women, and probably also with the first general deputies.
Since the first municipal elections, the percentage of female councilors has not stopped rising.
If in 1979 they were 7.1% of the total, in those of 2019 they reached 46.3%, according to data from the Basque Government.
The same has happened with female mayors, who have gone from 1.3% to 30.2%.
However, there has never been a democratic female mayor in any of the capitals.
During the Franco regime, Pilar Careaga was mayoress of Bilbao, but in democracy those elected in the three capitals have all been men.
Women councilors and mayors
The streak is going to break this year, since there will be a mayoress in Vitoria.
The candidates of the five main parties are all women: Beatriz Artolazabal (PNV), Maider Etxebarria (PSE), Rocío Vitero (EHBildu), Ainhoa Domaica (PP) and Garbiñe Ruiz (Podemos).
Currently, the largest municipality with a female mayor is Barakaldo, with Amaia del Campo (PNV), who is running for re-election.
Also in the General Meetings the percentage of women attorneys has been increasing over time.
In 1979 they accounted for 6.1% of the total while in 2019 they are the majority, 54.2%.
However, so far there has not been a single general deputy, a trajectory that will probably also be broken this year.
The candidate for general deputy of Bizkaia for the PNV, Elixabete Etxanobe. EFE/ Javier Zorrilla
According to polls, Elixabete Etxanobe (PNV) has a great chance of being a general deputy in Bizkaia, a territory in which this party borders on an absolute majority.
Also in Gipuzkoa it is probable that there will be a general deputy, since the two a priori favorite candidates are Eider Mendoza (PNV) and Maddalen Iriarte (EHBildu).
The law regulates the electoral parity in the composition of the candidacies.
Thus, it assumes in the municipal elections a balanced presence of men and women of no more than 60% and no less than 40% of each gender in sections of 5 candidates.
The only exception is in local elections in municipalities with a number of residents equal to or less than 3,000 inhabitants, in which no type of electoral parity is required.
On the other hand, in the elections to General Meetings, the candidacies require a balanced presence of men and women with a greater scope, since 50% of each gender is required in sections of 6 candidates. EFE