7 out of 12 Lib Dem MEPs are women, while 1 MEP is Asian. In 1999 the English party used “zipping” to ensure that 50% of candidates were women. In 2004 it used a quota system to ensure that at least 1 of the top 3 candidates of each regional list, and a third overall, had to be of either sex. How would you favour selecting candidates for the 2009 European Elections?
We can be proud of our representation of women at European level; of course zipping was initially used to guarantee this. However we should remember that had we zipped in 2004, we would not have elected our first Asian MEP nor have two women MEPs in the South East region. The system used in 2004 offers more flexibility, while ensuring a mix of both genders at the top of the list.
