Elections
Female politicians still face numerous obstacles despite momentum for change.
On a sunny afternoon near a busy motorway in Beirut, former Lebanese MP Paula Yacoubian sits in the headquarters of her charitable organisation.
Launched nearly a decade ago, the NGO is busier than ever dealing with the fallout from the country’s protracted economic meltdown.
Ms Yacoubian, 45, says she barely gets any sleep. A former TV host and the most famous female Lebanese politician who is not a political scion, Ms Yacoubian is getting ready to launch her campaign next week.
Click here to read the full article published by MENA on 7 March 2022.
Despite efforts to encourage women to both vote and run in local elections in the West Bank, candidates say much work remains to be done.
Rajaa Hamayel submitted her candidacy to the “Al-Bireh Brings Us Together” list running in the second phase of the local (municipal) council elections in the West Bank slated for March 26.
Hamayel, who heads the Palestinian Businesswomen’s Association – Asala, and who also worked as a lecturer at Birzeit University in Ramallah for 14 years, told Al-Monitor that her disappointment with the previous municipal councils prompted her to run in the hopes that things would change. She said that she has things to offer to her city of al-Bireh in the central West Bank.
Click here to read the full article published by Al-Monitor on 21 March 2022.
For nearly all political parties in India, women’s role in politics seems to begin and end as voters. In contrast to this, the Congress’ decision to give 40% tickets to women in UP was a refreshing change. This trend must continue beyond the party and these elections.
The just-concluded assembly elections in five states (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur) will be remembered for several significant shifts in India’s politics. But as the dust settles, we risk forgetting one of the most critical initiatives ever taken by a political party in India: The Congress’ decision to give 40% of its tickets to women in Uttar Pradesh (UP). If the move fizzles out from public memory, it would be a big loss for the cause of gender diversity in Indian politics.
It was nobody’s guess right from the beginning that the Congress’ initiative was unlikely to boost the number of women in UP’s new assembly. But regardless of electoral outcomes the decision remains a laudable one. Given the Congress’ shrinking relevance in India’s politics, it is highly likely that few will be encouraged to follow in its footsteps. It won’t be surprising if the party itself abandons this policy going forward. But women’s representation is a matter of equal rights, not a tool to be used instrumentally only for electoral gains.
Click here to read the full article published by Hindustan Times on 15 March 2022.
With women voters rooting for the candidates across districts, more women nominees were elected in the panchayat polls this year. In Patnaik’s home district of Ganjam, 40 women candidates were elected as members of the Zilla Parishad out of a total 67 zones in the district.
Taking a step further from his 2019 move when he gave tickets in 33 per cent of the seats in Lok Sabha polls to women, Odisha chief minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik has now chosen women to head 21 of the 30 Zilla Parishads in the state, a fortnight after the election to the Panchayati Raj bodies in the state got over.
Click here to read the full article published by Hindustan Times on 14 March 2022.
Despite studies showing widespread public acceptance of female politicians in India, women's political participation in the South Asian country remains low.
More than one in every two Indians say that "women and men make equally good political leaders" and over one in every ten believe women generally make better political leaders than men, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.
The study, conducted among 30,000 adults nationwide, surveyed Indian attitudes toward gender roles.
India has had powerful female politicians, with some of them managing to ascend to top political posts nationally and regionally, including president and prime minister.
Click here to read the full article published by DW on 11 March 2022.
In December 2020, a leading Kenyan political party official, Edwin Sifuna, made vulgar remarks against a woman member of parliament. While campaigning for their political allies in a by-election, Sifuna said the woman is “not attractive enough to rape”.
In January this year, controversial bishop David Gakuyo, who is seeking election as a member of parliament, made demeaning remarks about two women politicians. He accused them of seeking votes while “swinging bare behinds”.
Sifuna and Gakuyo later made half-hearted apologies through the police after complaints were lodged about the language they used. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission, a government agency tasked with taming the excesses of politicians, was largely silent.
Click here to read the full article published by Daily Maverick on 17 March 2022.