Candidate selection is critical to politics (Hazan & Rahat 2010). While this statement has been widely shared in the academic literature, little empirical research actually tested the relationship between the selection methods and the outcome of the process, i.e. the type of political elites involved in electoral campaigns. This paper aims at showing how the modes of selection may impact the characteristics of the candidates selected by the parties. Gender as a critical personal trait of the candidates is scrutinised in particular. The research investigates the processes of candidate selection in eleven Belgian political parties in the run-up to the May 2014 ‘mother of all elections’ where European, federal and regional elections were organised on the same day. 143 selection processes are quantitatively examined. The paper highlights the differences regarding gender diversity at the level of the realistic positions resulting from procedures involving exclusive versus inclusive selectorates as well as centralised versus decentralised processes of selection. It also explores to what extent the characteristics of the selectorates may impact the individual features of the candidates they select and how the degree of institutionalisation of the procedures might be critical. By doing so, it suggests that party politics is definitely relevant to politics in general, and to the composition of the political leadership in particular.