Quotas

Women parliamentarians from both sides of the aisle criticised Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan on Monday over his remarks against reserved seats for women and challenged him to compare his educational credentials with theirs.

Speaking on a point of order, PML-N MNA Anusha Rehman questioned whether Imran or his party had rendered any sacrifice for democracy or brought any legislation to parliament.

Kenya's rights activists are furious that the country's highest court "violated" women's constitutional rights by ruling against the implementation of a gender quota in parliament ahead of the 2013 general elections.

Activists here are threatening to boycott the Mar. 4, 2013 elections and bring the government to a standstill unless the gender parity law, which states that no more than two-thirds of one gender should hold elected office, is enforced in the senate and national assembly in the upcoming elections.

Mrs Adekemi Ndieli, National Programme Officer, UNDP (UN Women), has challenged the political parties in Nigeria to be more affirmative in supporting women to win elective positions through concerted efforts.

Ndieli told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday that women should be made to be more relevant in the political scheme of things.

According to her, the usual belief that women are to be seen and not to be heard should be jettison.

KA-DER (Female Electoral Candidates Support Association) released a statement today--on the 78th anniversary of Turkish women's acquisition of suffrage rights--urging the political parties to revise their quota system in their decision-making mechanisms.

"Current quota practices are not enough for the representation of women in decision-making processes. In election, women always show up at the button of lists. We don't want that. We want equal representation for equal political, social, cultural and economic equality in Turkey," the statement said.

The Assistant Minister of Local Government, Botlhogile Tshireletso, has called for reservation of parliamentary seats for women in order to raise the voice of the distaff section of the National Assembly. Responding to President Ian Khama's State of the Nation Address in Parliament yesterday, Tshireletso sought to amend a bill by Okavango MP Bagalatia Aarone to make provision for reserving seats for women.

Papua New Guinea’s three women MPs have ruled out supporting legislation for reserved seats for women.

And a prominent supporter of the legislation says the debate over women’s seats may have served its purpose.

Megan Whelan has more.

Last year, parliament passed a bill to set up 22 reserved seats for women, but enabling legislation was not passed in time for this year’s election, in which three women were elected to the 111 seat parliament.