CYPRUS: Action needed to increase women’s participation in politics

Urgent action is needed to speed up progress to ensure more women are represented in parliament as Cyprus has a huge gender imbalance in political life, said Cypriot MP Annita Demetriou.

"Women parliamentarians can become the power behind questioning and abolishing stereotypes and social prejudices based on gender, as well as promoting positive women role model in politics," said Demetriou.

She stressed the urgency of accelerating progress to ensure that the number of women in parliament in the next elections will increase.

"If we do not urgently undertake drastic actions which will bring positive outcome in the near future, the rate of progress in relation to women`s representation in public and political life will remain slow.”

Demetriou, was addressing the Women Leaders Global Forum, in Reykjavik, where she represented the House of Representatives, as Ambassador of the Women Political Leaders Network.

She delivered a statement responding to a UN call to undertake actions to promote equality in the framework of the legislative and monitoring work of parliaments.

Cyprus has one of the lowest percentages of women MPs in Europe and is the only country to have no female MEPs.