Analysis of gender and minority representation in the 2024 elections in Romania. Preliminary results

On February 4, FES Romania organized a debate on the preliminary results of the project "Analysis of gender and minority representation in the 2024 parliamentary and presidential elections in Romania". The project is carried out in collaboration with a research team from the Faculty of Political Science at SNSPA.

Preliminary analysis of more than 2700 electoral materials of the candidates in the presidential elections (including Facebook posts) from September to December 2024 shows that:

• Themes related to gender roles, family, civil partnership, and reproductive rights were more present in the speeches of male and female candidates than in previous years.
• Ethnic minorities were almost completely ignored, with no clear representation of their interests.
• Domestic violence is the only gender equality issue seriously addressed.
• The general tone of the electoral discourse remains conservative, with no diversity of opinion and few thematic options.

The project's final report will be published after the presidential elections scheduled for May 2025.