President Fernandez promulgated a decree that makes it mandatory for political parties to nominate women to 33% of congressional and municipal elective posts. These include candidates for the senate, the chamber of deputies and the various city councils. The measure had previously ben passed by both houses of congress. The decree also charges the Central Elections Board and provincial elections boards to monitor and enforce the rule. The position of mayor and deputy mayor are exempt. The current decree is an outgrowth of article 7 of the resolution adopted at the the Beijing Conference on the Status of Women, to which the DR subscribes. Another decree says that all parties must designate a women for either the position of mayor deputy mayor.
