Discrimination of Women in Political Life: On the Unconstitutionality of Countervailing Measures in the Thuringian Electoral Act

Abstract

The paper deals with the change of the Thuringian electoral legislation, which introduced the mandatory so-called zipping on candidate lists for the provincial elections. The parity law had an impact on the filling of candidates for charters and free and equal elections. This method of supporting the increase of women’s participation in public life has been declared unconstitutional by the Thuringian Constitutional Court.

Keywords

• constitutional law
• electoral law
• constitutionality
• discrimination
• candidate lists
• thuringia
• the federal republic of germany