Elections

A Scottish council which has no female councillors hopes to encourage more women to stand in next May's local government elections. In the last elections in 2017, for the first time in its history, no women were elected to the Western Isles' Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

Democracy Works Foundation (DWF) in conjunction with Botswana Editors Forum Botswana recently held a two-day workshop to train journalists on how media can play a supportive role in advancing meaningful participation of women in politics.

Currently DWF is implementing a year-long program in Botswana geared towards the advancement and development of women in politics.

In a society of transition, the role of women is also in transition in Bhutan, but the farsighted leadership of Their Majesties the Kings has helped Bhutanese women progress. This message came out strongly as three Bhutanese women, who worked closely with women, talked about their experience as important leaders and trailblazers for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Germany on the night of December 16.

A game of political one-upmanship is being witnessed among the major political parties ever since Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra promised 40% party tickets to women candidates and made some populist announcements for them ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Despite its apparent liberalism, Lebanon scores low in gender equality, especially in politics. According to the Gender Gap index, Lebanon ranks third last in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with only Syria and Yemen, both plagued by war, scoring lower.

According to Reliefweb, since 2010, Lebanon has witnessed a consistent decline in its relative gender gap score – reaching close to zero in terms of political empowerment.

Civil society activists have demanded political parties to award tickets to women aspirants for the local government elections to bring them into the national mainstream.

“If women are not given a leadership role, we cannot expect economic change in our lives and status,” Yasmin Bibi, a former tehsil councillor, told a women-only gathering organised by the Saibaan Development Organisation in Balakot on Friday.

During the campaign for local elections in the West Bank, many female candidates’ faces were replaced by a rose or a silhouette on voter lists and campaign posters.

About 65% of eligible voters turned out for the first round of voting on December 11. The second round, which will take place on March 26, will determine the composition of 66 local councils for large municipalities.

The United Nations has rallied the nation to stamp out widespread violence against women in politics (VAWP) across the country’s political divide during election period.

Violence against women in politics occurs within the political domain targeting women creating a barrier to women’s political participation.