CESI today ended its months-long campaign by putting up "a pillory" in the city centre for all political parties that ignored the legal provisions regarding the women's quota on election slates. Among them were the two strongest coalitions because they nominated the same number of women as they had at previous elections four years ago.

The coalition led by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) nominated 21.6 per cent of women, the centre-left coalition 30.7 per cent, the Peasant Party (HSS) and the Party of Rights (HSP) 26 per cent, the Social Liberal Party (HSLS) 28 per cent, and the Labour Party 34.48 per cent.

In the centre-left four-party coalition led by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), only the Pensioners' Party (HSU) has 40 per cent of women candidates, while the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) has none.

Broz said that one of the reasons for the present situation was that no fines were charged for gender-unbalanced election slates, in which case the HDZ would have to pay 500,000 kuna and the SDP-led coalition 400,000 kuna.

The largest number of women candidates are running in Constituency No. 7 (which covers the western, southwestern and southern parts of the City of Zagreb, the southwestern part of Zagreb County, Karlovac County, and the eastern part of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County), while the fewest, or 10.71 per cent, are running in Constituency No. 12, which is designed for ethnic minorities.

Women are heading only 17.57 per cent of election slates.

CESI and several other non-governmental organisations have drawn up the Women's Platform 2011 which contains women's demands from the next government and parliament.

"Although we invited all parliamentary parties to a meeting to present our platform, only three parties were prepared to hear women's demands and meet representatives of our organisations. Those are the Labour Party, the HSLS and the SDP-led coalition," Broz said.