A revised aliens' code went into effect on May 1 that makes it easier to obtain asylum and facilitates family reunification. The Constitution provides citizens with the right to change their government peacefully, and citizens exercise this right in practice through periodic, free, and fair elections held on the basis of universal suffrage. Women are fairly well represented in Government. The Foreign Minister and the Speaker of the Parliament are women. In 1995 Parliament passed quota legislation for all state committees, commissions, and appointed municipal bodies, requiring a minimum of 40 percent membership from each sex.
Government officials are very cooperative and responsive to their views.
The Constitution prohibits discrimination based on sex, age, origin, language, religion, conviction, opinion, or disability, and the Government effectively enforces these provisions. A total of 463 cases of rape were reported to the police in 1998, compared with 468 in 1997. During the 1988-97 period, an average of 395 cases of rape were reported each year. Government experts report that as many as half of all rape cases may go unreported. The annual number of calls to the police relating to domestic violence is not centrally compiled but is estimated at 10,000 to 12,000.