Many people see February 29 as a leap day, but it plays a much more important role in the history of the Slovaks and the Czechs. Their first democratic Constitution was adopted exactly 100 years ago.

The 1920 Constitution was the first legally binding document that incorporated the democratic principles established by Czechoslovakia. The document granted, for instance, the right to vote to all women and to all men.

Five years after the launch of Pathways to Politics, which was set up by leading business figure and women’s rights campaigner Carol Schwartz to “empower women to lead Australia”, Women’s Agenda caught up with Schwartz to take stock of the landscape for women in politics – then and now.

Former Ethics and Integrity minister Dr. Miria Matembe has challenged women to take up more leadership positions in the forthcoming general elections, in order to achieve gender balance.

Matembe also former Mbarara district woman Member of Parliament expressed concern that women are leaving their male counterparts to occupy most of the elective positions yet the decisions taken by leaders affect mainly women and children.

A study by the Network of Arab Women Parliamentarians for Equality (Ra’Edat) on the scale of violence against women parliamentarians in the Arab world found that 79.6% were exposed to one or more forms of violence.

Ra’Edat surveyed a sample of 370 current and previous Arab women parliamentarians from 15 Arab countries.

Amid attempts to transform the political system, feminists are looking for 50% representation in any new government.

Hundreds of women and girls this week took to the streets of Najaf, a Shi’ite holy city in southern Iraq, asserting their right to participate in anti-government protests and demand political reforms.