Judges ordered the Dutch state Friday to enforce the rights of female members of an orthodox Christian political party that bars them from holding public office, a court statement said.

"The state must ensure that women can present themselves as political party candidates for election," the Supreme Court ruled, describing the stance of the SGP orthodox reformed party as "unacceptable".

The manifesto of the SGP, which has two of 150 members of parliament, states that "public office is in conflict with a woman's calling".

Rights groups went to court in 2003 to force the state to stop "tolerating" the state of affairs in the SGP and take steps to change it.

The district court in The Hague ordered the state in 2005 to cut off the party's public funding as long as women could not be members -- a policy that was subsequently changed while the ban on holding public office was retained.

Appeals judges overturned the subsidy ruling two years later.

All parties lodged further appeals to the Supreme Court, which ruled on Friday that the UN Treaty for the Rights of Women obliged the state to ensure that women could play an active part in politics.

"It is unacceptable that a political grouping compiles candidates' lists in contravention of civil rights which guarantee the electoral rights of all citizens," said the statement.

"The democratic rule of law demands tolerance of religious convictions, but that does not prevent a judge from stating that the way in which the SGP brings its convictions to bear on candidate nominations is unacceptable."

The court said the state "must take measures that will ensure in a practical way that the SGP awards to women the right to make themselves available for election."

Mirella Visser, founder of the Centre for Inclusive Leadership commented: "I am very happy that the Supreme Court finally bit the bullet on this sensitive issue. But it still puzzles me why it has taken so long for this decision to come about. Our Dutch constitution apparently was not solid enough. Thanks to an international Treaty the situation has been corrected now but I hope that the debate about our own constitution will continue. I want to live in a country that truly values all citizens as equal, in a fair democracy for all."

The party said in a statement that it found the judgement "incomprehensible".

Related: Orthodox Christian's ban on women MP's crushed

AFP/Expatica