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• 
• About the
  Charter
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Article 2 – Political Representation

1. The Signatory recognizes the equal rights of women and men to vote, to be a candidate for and to hold elected office.

2. The Signatory recognises the equal rights of women and men to participate in the formulation and implementation of policy, to hold public office and to perform all public functions at all levels of government.

3. The Signatory recognizes the principle of balanced representation on all elected and public decision making bodies.

4. The Signatory commits itself to take all reasonable measures in support of the above rights and principle, including:

• to encourage women to register to vote, to exercise their individual voting rights and to be a candidate for public office
• to encourage political parties and groups to adopt and implement the principle of balanced representation of women and men
• to this end, to encourage the political parties and groups to take all lawful steps, including by adopting quotas where deemed appropriate, to increase the number of women selected as candidates and thereafter elected
• to regulate its own procedures and standards of conduct, so that potential candidates and elected representatives are not discouraged by stereotypical forms of behaviour and language, or by harassment
• to adopt measures to enable elected representatives to reconcile their private, work and public life, for example by ensuring that timetables, working methods and availability of dependent care allow all elected representatives to participate fully.

5. The Signatory commits itself to promote and apply the principle of balanced representation to its own decision-making and consultative bodies, and in its appointments to external bodies.

However, where the authority does not currently enjoy a balanced representation of women and men, it will implement the above on a basis no less favourable to the minority gender than its current gender balance.

6. It furthermore commits itself to ensure that no public or political post to which it appoints or elects a representative is, in principle or in practice, restricted to or seen as the normal role of one gender, due to stereotypical attitudes.