On 4 June 2011, Dr Eoin Daly published a valuable analysis “Gender Quotas and Freedom of Association”
” … the Government intends to introduce legislation requiring political parties to field a minimum quota of 30% of female candidates for elections.
This requirement will be enforced through an unusual administrative sanction. Parties failing to meet this target would, it is proposed, lose a portion of the public funding available under the Electoral Acts. The “quota” will rise to 40% after the next general election.
It is not my intention, in this post, to consider the various policy arguments surrounding the necessity or efficacy of the proposed measure.
Instead, I simply intend to consider whether, if implemented, it would likely encounter any constitutional difficulty, and the chances of success of any political party or prospective individual candidates who might challenge the constitutional validity of the relevant legislation …”
You can read the full text of Dr Eoin Daly’s detailed analysis here...
Latest News: Dr Eoin Daly is speaking at our Public Meeting on 22 November.
