Spain saw a slight increase, from 36% women in parliament in 2004 to 36.3% in 2008, a year after the introduction, in the General Election Regime Law, of compulsory requirement of balanced presence of women and men (minimum 40 per cent of each sex) in candidate lists. Gender equality mechanisms within election management bodies Electoral management bodies (EMBs) can play an instrumental role in promoting women’s political participation as they oversee and organise the electoral process, which includes candidate registration and voter outreach and education, among others. In fact, none of the respondents indicated that their election bodies had appointed gender advisors or focal points, included gender considerations in EMB operational procedures or policies, or emphasised gender balance in the composition of EMBs, including among commissioners and/or polling station officials.