Minister waits for European verdict on fundamentalist SGP

Home affairs minister Piet Hein Donner is not yet taking any steps to ensure the fundamentalist Christian party SGP includes women on its political candidate lists, Nos television reports.


Last year, the High Court ruled the SGP could not exclude women from its candidate lists and said the government had to take steps to ensure changes are made.
The party has since appealed to the European Court and Donner is waiting for its verdict before taking any action, Nos says.
The SGP operates according to a strict interpretation of the Bible and believes that the country should be governed ‘entirely on the basis of the ordinances of God’.
While women are now allowed to join the party, they are still banned from voting, taking office or becoming MPs. The party has two seats in the 150-seat Dutch parliament.
More on this
Fundamentalist party must allow women to become MPs

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