Tunisia-27th Session May 2017-Women's participation

Para 136) With regard to participation in public and political life, the first ever female Prime Minister of Tunisia was appointed in October 2021, and women account for 40 per cent of government members. In addition, for the first time, a woman has been appointed to head the General Secretariat of the Government. Para 137) Despite the fact that the principle of parity between men and women in electoral lists has been established, female representation following the legislative elections of 2019 was below the hoped-for ceiling, with just 53 women out of 217 representatives. Para 138) As for local-level representation, 3,385 women have been elected to serve on municipal councils, comprising 47.05 per cent of the total. A total of 573 women heading electoral lists were successfully elected in municipal elections, equivalent to 29.55 per cent of all heads of electoral lists. For the first time, a woman has become mayor of Tunis. At the regional level, just one woman is head of a governorate. Para 139) In 2018, 43.12 per cent of judges were women while, in 2020, they accounted for more than 70 per cent of the intake into the judiciary. Despite these percentages, the involvement of female judges in decision-making roles and in senior positions remains scant.