The right to vote and the right to stand for election are two fundamental elements of democracy. Notably, many countries did not afford women the right to vote until the 20th Century. Even today, universal suffrage is not a given right in all countries, and women often face obstacles that undermine their participation in political and electoral processes. There are various ways to support women in overcoming these obstacles. Such methods include revising the electoral system used, applying affirmative action mechanisms such as quotas, improving voter education for women and training political candidates. These are a few of the modes available to strengthen women’s political participation .Photo©Jens Franssen
As the 2015 general elections approach many womena re beginning to call for free elections without corruption to give a chance for everyone to participate.
Armed with perseverance and determination, numerous elite Lebanese women gathered Wednesday next to the Interior Ministry to stress that the Lebanese political field is incomplete without their participation.
Eight weeks from Election Day, the heads of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee view the battle for the Senate through very different prisms -- though they share some of the same views on how the midterms are shaking out.
Till such time that the 33% representation in legislatures and the Parliament is not made mandatory, they will be happy to make all the right noises on women’s representation and leave it at that. All the canvassing and grass-root work by women’s organisations would have yielded little.
Women are at the forefront of many of this year’s critical and most-watched races. From candidates for governorships making waves from red-to-blue states, to game-changing senate seats up for grabs, women are making their voices heard now more than ever.
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women has launched a report and training manual for building the capacity of stakeholders on Affirmative Action in the country.
Lawyers, entrepreneurs, academics and civil servants are some of the female candidates standing in Fiji's upcoming elections. Fijians will vote on 17 September, the first elections since the 2006 military coup.
Unfriendly political environmental factors, culture, tradition and religious belief, low level of education as some of the barriers militating against Nigerian women’s participation in politics.
Today marks the anniversary of a historic day in American politics — the day women received the same opportunity as men to vote for the individuals that represented them.