Prime Minister Boiko M. Borisov of Bulgaria has instituted a policy to increase women’s participation in politics. He has recently endorsed a “legion of women”,[1] changing the almost exclusively male face of Bulgarian politics. Positions held by female politicians include the justice minister, the mayor of Sofia, the speaker of Parliament, the nominee to lead the European Union’s humanitarian aid and the head of the prime minister’s office. Of the candidates nominated by Mr. Borisov for the 2009 elections to the European Parliament, 60% were women, and last summer, he formed a women’s wing of his party. When explaining why he believes more women should enter politics, he said: “Women are more diligent than men, and they don’t take long lunches or go to the bar” and “Women have stronger characters than men because when they say no they mean no, and they are less corruptible.”[2] While his efforts to increase women’s participation in politics have been criticized by some as a ploy to improve the famously corrupt country’s image, it is indisputable that the results for women’s empowerment are tangible in the marked increase of high level female representation in government.

For more information, see http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/world/europe/08iht-bulgwomen.html?emc=eta1

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[1] Dan Bilefsky “Women’s Influence Grows in Bulgarian Public Life” The New York Times. (February 7, 2010)

[2] Ibid.