Monday, January 14, 2013

Dutch Christian Party Lets Women Run for Office; But Still Excludes Women from Political Functions

The fundamentalist Christian Party (SGP) in the Netherlands is changing its rules, so that women are no longer automatically excluded from running for political office, the Dutch News website reports today (January 14, 2013).

The revised rules will mean that sex should no longer be a deciding factor when selecting candidates for parliament or local councils.

However, the SGP -- which believes the Netherlands should be governed according to Biblical principles -- will not alter its basic principles on different roles for men and women. Thus, women will still be excluded from political functions.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled last July that "the advancement of the equality of the sexes is today a major goal in the member States of the Council of Europe." Nonetheless, it is the SGP's belief that freedom of religion is more important than equal rights for women.

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