In the latest development, the ministry of women and child development
in partnership with a non-governmental organisation known as the NGO
gender coordination network has intensified campaign to have more women
parliamentarians in the national assembly.
The campaign has also been given a boost by the country's state
president Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika who is asking women to vote for fellow
women in this year's polls.
It follows government's declaration to have 50 percent of women in
decision making positions. It also comes at a time when Malawi is
gearing up for the presidential and parliamentary elections that are
scheduled to take place on May 19 this year.
In the latest development, the ministry in collaboration with the NGO
gender coordination network is sponsoring advertisements on Television
and on radio stations, appealing to members of the public to vote for
women. In the advertisements, women aspirants are given not less than
two minutes of airtime on radio, to give their campaign messages and
explain why they should be voted into power on May 19.
President Mutharika in his campaign trail is appealing to voters to
vote for women in this election, as one way of making sure that
development is spread across the country, arguing that women have the
welfare of people at heart. Mutharika, who is the presidential
candidate for his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has picked a woman
vice presidential candidate by the name of Joyce Banda, who is also the
minister of foreign affairs.
In this year's elections, up to 232 women aspirants are contesting for parliamentary seats.
Background
Malawi's parliament has up to 192 seats. Last year, the national
assembly had less than 10 percent women representation. The country has
over ten political parties whose representatives have pledged to do
whatever they can to promote women into decision making positions in
their respective parties. Since independence in 1964, president
Mutharika has become the first sitting president to pick a woman as
running-mate during presidential and parliamentary elections.//End//
MISA
Post published in: Uncategorized