Elections

Online bullying of women and girls in Indonesia skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this disturbing trend has continued and even intensified ahead of the February 14, 2024 elections.

ISLAMABAD: As political parties get ready for the upcoming general elections in February, they ought to think about feeling the pulse of a populace that is eager for change, according to Dawn.

According to an opinion piece in a Pakistan-based media publication, the change of placing a wager on women and young people rather than conventional warhorses might help them win the tough battle of politics.

Other than serving the purpose of throwing up new leaders, the recent local council elections in Ekiti State presented a study on how state governors could hold back from interfering in people’s choices of leaders at the grassroots, mainstreaming gender inclusion and deepening democratic culture, among other lessons, AYODELE AFOLABI writes.

In the city of Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local resident Alexandrine Kisikutila is urging everyone around her to vote in next week's general elections. More specifically, for female candidates.

"As a Congolese citizen I'm ready to go to the polls and vote for a woman," she told DW.

When parliamentary and presidential elections were announced in Libya for December 2021, prominent political activist Hanan al-Faidy, 46, immediately registered her candidacy for parliament in Benghazi.

As Serbia gears up for the upcoming elections, the visibility of female candidates is not as strong as in the previous 2020 campaign, as representation in the Serbian Assembly has only slightly increased over the past decade, according to the Academy in Women’s Leadership.

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights, a Civil Society Organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of women and girls, has said that about 96 per cent of women, who ran for various positions in the 2023 General Elections, were defeated by their male opponents.

According to the organisation, seven women were elected as deputy governors, four elected for the Senate, 15 for the House of Representatives, while 48 are in state Houses of Assembly.

It is truly disheartening to observe the glaring absence of female candidates vying for political office in the upcoming general elections. Despite Bangladesh having been led at different times by two women since 1991 besides the years of the caretaker regime, the paltry representation of women remains a stark reminder of the uphill battle for true inclusivity.