Andorra · 50 years of universal women’s suffrage in Andorra

Well into the 20th century, women in Andorra were excluded from political participation. Historically, the right to vote was tied to male citizenship and, initially, additionally to the status of head of household. Even after voting rights had been extended to men, political office and voting remained a male domain. This corresponded to the traditional social and institutional structures of the small Pyrenean state, which at that time still had no modern written constitution.

In the 1960s, Andorran women publicly demanded political equality. A petition from 1967 called for women’s suffrage. The initiative came during a period of social change: Andorra was transformed by population growth, tourism and economic opening, while its traditional political structures were increasingly reformed. In 1970, women were granted the right to participate in elections. The right to stand for political office followed a few years later. Legal equality in voting rights was therefore not a single step, but part of a longer process of democratization.

Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality. Its heads of state are jointly the Bishop of Urgell and the President of the French Republic. The representative body is the General Council (Generalrat), whose historical roots go back several centuries. The present state order was reorganized in 1993 with Andorra’s first constitution and the confirmation of popular sovereignty. Since then, women have participated at all levels of political life.

The 2020 issue marked the round anniversary of the introduction of women’s suffrage. The occasion lent itself to a commemorative coin because it marks both a specific turning point in Andorran legal history and the transformation from traditionally restricted political participation to democratic equality. The anniversary commemorates not only the legal change, but also the women who had previously demanded it.