This paper examines the role of women in the 2009 Albanian elections, focusing on their involvement as voters, commissioners, and candidates. It traces the history of women’s participation in politics in Albania, noting that after the communist era, women were marginalized in public and political life. However, since the 1990s, women have started to re-enter the political and economic sphere, with the 2005 parliamentary elections showing a rise in women candidates, although Albania still ranked last in terms of women’s political representation in Southern Europe. The paper emphasizes the importance of women’s access to the political process and highlights the 2009 election as a turning point, with 23 women deputies elected, accounting for 16.4% of the total seats. The study, a collaboration between UNIFEM, ACER, ASET, and partner NGOs, monitors four aspects of the election: the implementation of the gender quota, pre-election public events, media coverage, and Election Day behavior of women voters.

Monitoring the Implementation of Gender quota and Women’s Participation

This report was supported by UNIFEM.