Moderator: H.E. Mr. Charles Ntwaage, Ambassador and
Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations
Dr. Massimo Tommasoli, Permanent
Observer for the International IDEA to the United Nations
Ms. Rumbidzai Kanawasvika, Senior Program
Manager, Democracy & Gender, International Institute For Democracy And
Electoral Assistance (IDEA)
Magda, Maria del Carmen Alanis Figueroa, Magistrate ,
Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary of Mexico
Ms. Rumbidzai Kanawasvika, Senior Program
Manager, Democracy & Gender, International Institute For Democracy And
Electoral Assistance (IDEA)
Women’s political participation in Africa
The political leadership in Africa is rapidly
changing and the role of women’s participation in politics has become a
priority. The emergence of new a political approach and leadership in Africa it
is being looked at more and more through a Gender’s lens.
The leadership of a woman at the helm of the country
or in a ministerial position has become the new goal for most political
parties, for instance Liberia and Malawi have women presidents. Through the
years political parties have traditionally belonged to men, although
outnumbered by women, translated in numbers of votes. Nevertheless, when it
comes to political representation women lack leadership in numbers.
Consequently, African States are striving to have equal representation.
Nonetheless, it is very important to understand how political parties provide
input in their agendas during the electoral campaigns and gender equality.
Factors: Who influences progress?
As women`s leadership lacks in numbers and men
dominate the political arena progress is influenced by men, the leadership. The
willingness of the political party to promote women candidates within the
structure of their parties becomes crucial before and during the election
campaign.
As the political parties build their manifestos for
the election campaigns and as it gets closer to the elections momentum the idea
of gender equality evaporates; even when countries have committed quotas to be
met. The numbers do not match. Therefore, gender capacity building based on
given quotas among the candidates is not met.
Women being part of the decision making process and asserting political
leadership is being seen as `` taking the kitchen from home and bringing it
into the party`` meaning that the function of women in politics is not
relevant.
Furthermore, the commitments taken by African states
in respect to gender equality is 30% to 40%, for example, Rwanda has integrated
a constitutional provision which allows women to take a stand and become
candidates in their party of preference. Thus far, 85% of the political parties
in Africa have women in ministerial position, as a result of their
participation in politics and seeking leadership. Nevertheless, these women
hold particular files which pertain particular to women, the issues have been ghettoized.
The results, of encouraging women to
participate in politics while promoting the interest of a political party in
order to win any election campaign is women dealing only with women’s issues.
Magda, Maria del Carmen Alanis Figueroa, Magistrate ,
Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary of Mexico
The consequences for women candidates in Mexico
Unlike the African political parties Mexico
political parties approach to women candidates it quite different. After approximately ten years of struggle,
women in Mexico not only obtained a specific quota for women candidates, but
have achieved to amend the Mexican constitution re-assuring women’s
participation in politics. In spite, all efforts in the past five years the
quota was not attained as expected. Women’s national organizations found
themselves in court once again fighting for their rights.
This took another constitutional amendment ruled for
new criteria, based on which a political party will choose their candidates;
replace a candidate during an election campaign and after and most importantly
to ensure the place of a female candidate.
If a political party, while choosing the candidates prior to an election
campaign, cannot find a woman candidate the incumbent cannot a man. During an
election campaign if a woman candidate resigns, she can only be replaced by another
woman in an open and transparent process. Therefore, this practice will ensure
gender equality.
How the process is being undermined
by men within the parties?
Most women candidates are being threatened by their
male counterparts, the threats usually do not come from the candidates
directly, but from those who support them. They receive personal death threats,
sometimes their family members may even killed or their businesses sabotaged
which in most cases are their only sources of revenue. For the women who
already occupy a seat in the Mexican parliament the threats are a little more
different and more persistent if they choose to run for a second mandate.
The threats begin first on the leader of the party
discouraging him to allow women to run a second term, if the leader does not
take the threat seriously the woman who occupies the seat will be the one who
will have to take an immediate decision. Although, not all women give up their
seats there are some who stand and fight for the idea of women’s participation
in politics. Consequently, in some
countries achieving gender equality could be a life threatening goal.
Personal note,
How all of the above relates to us Canadian women? We are all women we all fight for equality of
rights. Canada in the last three years has become the 52nd country
in the world with respect to women’s participation into politics, women
Parliamentarians. None of the political parties in Canada has taken a firm
commitment to ensure a quota of women candidates. Although, in the above given
examples, quotas of women candidates have been established by political parties
but not respected. However, as stated above, in some cases, women fight with
their lives for this right; we must agree that those women have achieved
something great. Even for all the States that have female leadership, there is still
a lot of work to be done and much more to be improved, particularly to achieve
and maintain gender equality, the rule of law as well as human rights and
education.
The political awakening of these women is an
important momentum for all of us. Yes, we do have rights and we enjoy them, but
there is one right we do not really practice, that of being politically active
and supporting women candidates in all political parties in Canada. Perhaps, it is time for us to re-assess our
stands in this respect and perhaps it is also time for us to become more vocal, more demanding
and expecting more from our political parties.
Canada’s commitment with respect to gender equality in political parties
remains none existent. It is time we stop asking and we start demanding.
--Daniela Chivu
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