Elections

While several female politicians, including former legislator Angelina Sondakh, have been embroiled in graft cases recently, politicians and experts are upbeat that an increased number of women in the House of Representatives will boost the legislature’s performance and standing. 

Women account for 18 percent of legislators, holding 101 of 560 seats after the 2009 legislative election. That figure is up from 61 out of 550 seats after the 2004 election, but is still well short of the government’s target of 30 percent women’s representation in the House. 

Even though Balkan countries are shy of the European average when it comes to women in politics, their presence in public life is growing.

Montenegro has the first female defence minister in its history, while Serbia got its first woman Central Bank governor. Kosovo has its first woman president. The new women prime ministers in Republika Srpska and Slovenia will additionally increase the number of females in the region's governments.

As we join the rest of the world in commemorating today, 8th March, as International Women’s Day, we wish to use this occasion to address the unacceptable issue of very low representation of women in governance and decision-making in Ghana and many other African countries and commend the great strides being made elsewhere on the continent.

(We invite our users to read the full article published March 8 2013)

During the First Ordinary Session of the Council of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), which was held March 1, at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC, around the theme "Women's rights: From Law to Practice" ; Marie Yanick Mézile, Haiti's Minister for the Status of Women and Women's Rights, in her capacity of Vice-President, presented the government's policy on gender issues in Haiti.

“I do not think that the constitution will improve or encourage women to participate in politics. In terms of the population we are more than men. Women are the ones who are voting men into power. We have women who are in Parliament who managed to beat their male counterparts [in elections]. We do not need the constitution to tell us to campaign for political office. We need courage, confidence and learn to support each other as women.” said a Bulawayo-based female journalist.