The Administrative Court of Casanare declared the partial nullity of Minute No. 001 of 2024, which recorded the election of the permanent commissions of the Departmental Assembly for the current period. The ruling is based on gender discrimination that limited the participation of female deputies to a single commission: the Commission for Women’s Equality.
The lawsuit was filed by Representative Luz Mery Niño Chaparro, who argued that this restriction violated her rights by relegating her exclusively to a specific area, reproducing stereotypes that distrust women’s ability to address other issues crucial to the development of the department.
The ruling highlights that the decision of the Departmental Assembly perpetuated discriminatory stereotypes, constituting symbolic gender-based violence by making it difficult for women to fully exercise political activity. This limitation not only affects equitable representation on commissions, but also discourages women’s political participation by generating feelings of frustration and helplessness.
In addition to declaring the partial nullity of the minutes, the Court proceeded to declare the exception of unconstitutionality of the expression “deputies” of article 54 of the Internal Regulations, which explicitly excluded female deputies from other committees. This measure implies the mandatory inclusion of female deputies in all Assembly commissions, ensuring a more equitable and respectful representation of women’s rights in departmental political life.
Although the requests for a repeat election and certification of copies were denied as inadmissible, the Court ordered the Departmental Assembly to publish the ruling on its website for wide dissemination.
This ruling sets a significant precedent in the fight against gender discrimination in political representation bodies, underlining the State’s commitment to material equality and the effective realization of women’s rights in all areas of society.
The Commissions elected in January
First Commission: Development Plan, Mining, Energy Issues and Economic Development
Juan Fernando Mancipe Pérez, Wilder Andrés Ávila, Heyder Alexander Silva, Luis Alejandro López and Omar Ortega.
President: Juan Fernando Mancipe
Vice President: Wilder Ávila Tibabija
Second Commission: Budget and Public Finance
Omar Ortega, Heyder Silva, Luis Alejandro López, Eduardo Antolines and Germán Pinzón
President: Omar Hernando Ortega
Vice President: Heyder Alexander Silva
Third Commission: Education, Health and Social Development
Eduardo Antolines, Heyder Silva, Luis Alejandro López, Germán Pinzón and Henry Jhooney Pérez.
President: Eduardo Antolines Pan
Vice President: Heyder Alexander Silva
Fourth Commission: Ethics, Government and Institutional Affairs
Wilder Andrés Ávila, Juan Fernando Mancipe, Eduardo Antolines, Jorge Eduardo García and Henry Jhooney Pérez.
President: Wilder Ávila Tibabija
Vice President: Juan Fernando Mancipe
Fifth Commission: Commission for Women’s Equality
Juan Fernando Mancipe, Wilder Andrés Ávila, Omar Ortega, Luz Mery Niño and Marisela Duarte.
President: Marisela Duarte Rodríguez
Vice President: Luz Mery Niño.
