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Elections

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

June 13, 2014
Female political participation in the Pacific

Last week I was in Tahiti (yes, I know) for PIPSA, the biannual Pacific Islands Political Science Association conference, to discuss China's role in the region and the influence Pacific island governments have in negotiating Chinese financing (more on that research in a forthcoming post).

June 12, 2014
Sushma Swaraj seeks support for women quota, India

Confident of the numbers to clear it, the Narendra Modi government assured the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that it will bring the long-pending legislation on 33% reservation for women in Parliament in the present regime and urged all the other parties to support it.

June 9, 2014
Women’s Parliamentary Caucuses as agents of change

Nation-building processes cannot work and development goals cannot be achieved if women are denied meaningful political participation. To ensure this, Pakistan’s Parliament introduced in 2002 a 17 percent gender quota in all legislative houses.

June 3, 2014
Women ‘leading The Elections’, Egypt

Egyptian women participated in large numbers during the first day of the presidential election Monday, in some cases even heading to voting stations at 7 a.m., two hours before polls were due to open.