Women in Local Governance: Algeria Case Study National Roundtable
May 30, 2006 Constantine, Algeria 

The objective of this national roundtable was to present the first draft of the study conducted on Algerian Women’s Participation in Local Governance in order for participants to discuss and comment on its findings.

The roundtable was attended by 21 participants including elected councilors, political party members, NGOs, university lecturers, students and lawyers.

The discussion focused on the main themes covered in the study. The study is being conducted by Dr. Facyal Ben Hilalou, Deputy of Constantine Association and partner of CAWTAR in its project Arab Women and Local Governance. The deliberations were as follows:

1. Assessment of Legislative Framework: Participants confirmed that the legislative framework does not pose problems for Algerian women to participate as voters or candidates in local governance.
   
2. Election System: Participants discussed the advantages of this system for both men and women. However, they referred to the current absences of quotas, positive discrimination terms, and ranking of women on top of electoral lists to increase winning chances for women as major challenges to women’s participation in local governance. In addition, political party law does not necessitate quotas for women or their candidacy in winning centers and there is no rule obliging political parties to apply quotas. The participants recommended a 30% quota for women as an international standard and that efforts should be made in order to persuade political parties to support female candidacy.
   
3. With respect to the role of the media, the participants confirmed the importance of media support for women candidates. They also agreed that the media should focus on raising social awareness of discriminatory practices that hinder equality and bar women from exercising their political rights.
   
4. Participants also emphasized the importance of creating an accessible electoral environment for women through capacity-building programs and the participation of women in electoral and political party committees.