As a follow-up of a series of events dedicated to increasing women's participation in political life, an online discussion on the topic " The impact of money on women's participation in political life " was held today, August 13, 2020. The online-talk was conducted by the Former Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission of Moldova, Ms. Alina Russu. The purpose of the online event was to discuss the impact of financial status on women's participation in politics.

Ms. Alina Russu shared her experience with the participants of the online discussion, while talking about how money can have an effect on women’s participation in political life :

«Communities led by women are becoming more prosperous. After coming to an understanding of this fact, we must strengthen the role of women in politics. With a 40% quota in the Republic of Moldova in 2019, there were many negative statements, and moreover, male politicians asked where to find potential women candidates to fill the party lists. This happened despite the fact that in Moldova, women make up more than 50% of the population, and University graduates more than 60%. There is still a lot of work to do to eliminate gender stereotypes and activate women's participation in politics».

The discussion meeting was attended by 22 participants, many of whom actively asked questions and shared their impressions of the meeting itself. During the discussion one of the participants noted:

"The discussion is very relevant, given that Kyrgyzstan also has a 30% quota for women, and 44 out of 226 parties have expressed a desire to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, which must meet the quota".

The online discussion was live streamed on Facebook and then recorded in order to reach more viewers.

This event was organized as part of the Kyrgyz Elections Support Program, implemented by UNDP with the support of the governments of Switzerland, Japan and Germany. The program aims to assist the Central Commission for elections and referendums of the Kyrgyz Republic in developing its capacity to support local and parliamentary elections in 2020-2021 using technologies. This equipment will help ensure the sustainable use of a biometrics-based voter identification model and support other factors that contribute to free, fair, trustworthy, and transparent elections, including the empowerment of women as voters and eligible candidates.

Biographical Vitae:

Alina Russu was born on September 30, 1976 in Chisinau, Moldova. In 1998, she graduated from the state University of Moldova, and in 2004 - from the Academy of public administration under the President of Moldova. She also took various courses in Europe. Alina is the only female chair of the CEC of Moldova, and served in this position from 2016 to 2019. Alina also served as the chief of Staff of the PCRM Faction Chairman in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, a representative member with the right to vote in the Central election Commission, and head of the Main Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Moldova. Alina worked in OSCE-ODIHR projects, implemented projects to increase women's participation in electoral processes together