Political Parties

The Pakistan elections are only a day away, on February 8, and candidates of all genders, religions, and political parties are working hard to make their mark in the polls.

PESHAWAR: In the lead-up to Pakistan’s general elections on Thursday, a concerning reality emerges regarding the inadequate prioritization of women’s representation within political parties.

The Japanese Communist Party (JCP) chose Tomoko Tamura as its first-ever female leader Thursday, apparently in the hope of broadening its support base and attracting a wider array of voters.

Although two women — Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia — served as prime ministers of Bangladesh for 31 out of 33 years since 1991, the representation of women in national politics is still negligible.

The low rate of participation of Bangla women in politics is clear when looking at the number of women candidates contesting the upcoming 12th general election. According to the Election Commission, 92 contestants out of 1,891 vying for 300 seats are women. That's 4.86%.

ISLAMABAD: As political parties get ready for the upcoming general elections in February, they ought to think about feeling the pulse of a populace that is eager for change, according to Dawn.

According to an opinion piece in a Pakistan-based media publication, the change of placing a wager on women and young people rather than conventional warhorses might help them win the tough battle of politics.

Other than serving the purpose of throwing up new leaders, the recent local council elections in Ekiti State presented a study on how state governors could hold back from interfering in people’s choices of leaders at the grassroots, mainstreaming gender inclusion and deepening democratic culture, among other lessons, AYODELE AFOLABI writes.

The real testimony to women’s political rights will come when they hold significant positions of power across the political spectrum