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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

March 10, 2022
Papua New Guinea: No reserved seats for women

The plan to have five regional seats reserved for women beginning in the general election this year has been shelved, a senior government official told a parliamentary committee yesterday.

March 9, 2022
Nicola Sturgeon: Gender balance in Scotland may reverse as women avoid toxic politics

Nicola Sturgeon said she fears the forthcoming council elections will see equal representation go “backwards” as women are reluctant to enter the “toxic” world of politics.

March 8, 2022
South Korea’s poisonous gender politics a test for next president

As election campaign enters final stages, the two leading candidates have been accused of pandering to sexism to win the votes of aggrieved young men.

March 7, 2022
The contribution of women to and gender issues in the 2021/2022 electoral reform process in Mozambique

After a quarter of a century of democratic experience that followed another 25 years of a revolutionary process that put women’s emancipation at the centre of the revolutionary discourse, women in Mozambique still face social, economic and political exclusions that im

March 7, 2022
Enhancing women's political participation in Africa

Enhancing Women's Political Participation in Africa (Women in Political Participation (WPP) is a Pan-African gender project on the different facets of Women and Politics in Africa.