Female lawmakers reestablish caucus in Albanian Assembly

Female members of the Albanian parliament have created the Women's Caucus named "The Alliance of Women MPs"on Thursday. The Women Caucus will be an informal structure of women lawmakers in the Albanian Assembly, who regardless of their political affiliation have decided to work together to promote more women in politics and decision-making. They will propose new actions and legal initiatives for the implementation of gender quotas and ensuring gender equality in Albania. "I want to congratulate and wish success in this positive initiative and I want to assure you all of the full Assembly support for the Alliance of Women MPs," Albanian Assembly Speaker Ilir Meta said. Women's representation in the Albanian parliament increased only slightly from 16.4 percent in 2009 to 17.8 percent in 2013. The women's caucus in the Albanian parliament was first established in 1995 and had contributed to the passing of the 2008 Gender Equality Law and the inclusion of a gender quota in the Electoral Code.