Serbian official visit

Press Release 

Serbian Parliament’s Deputy Speaker concludes official visit to Jordan

AMMAN, April 3rd, 2019 – The Deputy Speaker of Serbia’s National Assembly, Mrs Gordana Čomić, on Wednesday concluded a three-day visit to Jordan, where she took part in various activities, including seminars related to women political participation and parliamentary blocs.

Held under the framework of the ‘EU Support to Jordanian Democratic Institutions and Development – EU-JDID’ programme, the seminars aimed to foster the exchange of experiences between Jordan and Serbia’s parliamentarians, political parties and civil society members.

Mrs Čomić started her visit by partaking in a seminar on women political participation, where she said: "While I was born female by accident, I became a politician on purpose. I truly believe it is a crucial task for women to continue the work that other women have started in the past, especially in politics.’’

Recounting the challenges and criticisms she faced when starting as a female Member of Parliament (MP) in Serbia, she underlined that ‘‘female politicians are an essential part of the future of politics everywhere, including here in Jordan.’’

Mrs Čomić then took part in a Q&A exchange with the audience, which included the Chairwoman of the Women and Family Affairs Committee at the House of Representatives, Dr Reem Abu Dalbouh; the Head of the Women Parliamentary Caucus, Dr Sabah Al-Sha’ar; and member of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Mrs Samar Haj Hasan, among others.

‘‘As women MPs, we should be an example to follow for other women in society. Female politicians can represent a model for women in terms of work, achievements, balance, etc,’’ Dr Abu Dalbouh highlighted during the discussion.

For her part, IEC Commissioner Mrs Haj Hasan praised the role of Jordanian women in taking responsibility at all stages, noting that the Kingdom’s legislative structure contributed to helping women reach the decision-making positions.

‘‘Quotas, for instance, were an effective means … that was proved by parliamentary elections, municipalities and provincial councils,’’ she stated, an opinion shared by Dr Al-Sha’ar, who highlighted the importance of spreading awareness regarding increasing women's political participation.

On Wednesday, Mrs Čomić addressed an audience of political parties representatives, MPs and staffers from the directorate of blocs and coalitions at the Jordanian House of Representatives.

Held under the title ‘Making parliamentary groups and coalitions relevant: Lessons from European experiences’, the seminar focused on the effects of the electoral system on the formation of political parties and parliamentary blocs, formation of pre- and post-electoral coalitions, building political party alliances and coalitions as well as political party mergers.

Participants exchanged views on comparative practices from European and regional parliaments, and discussed applicability of these practices in Jordanian context.