Andorra has a parliamentary system of government and regularly holds free and fair elections. Political rights and civil liberties are generally respected. However, the country has strict naturalization criteria, and more than 50 percent of the population consists of noncitizens who do not have the right to vote. Among other outstanding concerns, abortion remains completely prohibited, and there is a notable wage gap between men and women. Andorra’s small Muslim and Jewish communities lack dedicated cemeteries, and the country has no recognized mosque.

• In January, activist Vanessa Mendoza Cortés was acquitted of defamation charges that stemmed from her criticism of Andorra’s abortion ban before a United Nations committee in 2019.
• In July, the Vatican named Bishop Josep-Lluis Serrano Pentinat as coadjutor of the Roman Catholic diocese of Urgell, indicating that he would soon replace the retiring bishop of Urgell, Joan-Enric Vives i Sicília, as one of Andorra’s two constitutional co-princes.
• Throughout the year, an interreligious dialogue group held productive talks with the municipality of Escaldes about the creation of a multireligious cemetery, which would address a long-standing request by the Jewish and Muslim communities to have their own cemeteries in the predominantly Catholic country.
• The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) noted in two reports, released in July and December, that Andorra had implemented a code of conduct for members of parliament, but that more should be done to prevent corruption among high-level political officials and in the country’s police force. Among other recommendations, GRECO called for officials’ asset declarations to be made accessible to the public, and for the obligation to declare assets to be extended to additional officials and potentially their family members.

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For additional background information, see last year’s full report.