October 7, 2004 - (Latinamerica Press) Women’s participation in politics faces a series of obstacles but some advances have been made.

On Oct. 3, over 100 million Brazilians voted in elections in 5,562 municipalities across the country. Despite modest improvements, Brazil continues to have one of the lowest percentages of female candidates in Latin America.

According to electoral court data analyzed by the Center for Feminist Research and Consulting (Cfemea), the proportion of female candidates for city councils rose to 22 percent this year compared to 19 percent in 2000 elections. The proportion of female candidates for mayor rose from 7.5 percent to 9.4 percent. It is too early to predict if the proportion of women holding public offices in Brazil will rise above its current 12 percent.

From: http://www.latinamericapress.org/article.asp?IssCode=&lanCode=1&artCode=3957