United Democratic Front (UDF) president Atupele Muluzi has endorsed the Women’s Manifesto with a promise to include more women in Cabinet if he wins the September 16 General Election.
Speaking in Lilongwe yesterday after signing the manifesto developed by the Women’s Manifesto Movement, he conceded that he missed an opportunity to have a woman as a running mate when he unveiled Rex Kalolo on Saturday, but committed to compensating it by having women take up over 50 percent of Cabinet posts.
Atupele, son to former president Bakili Muluzi, said women being in majority have a powerful voice and are at the centre of the election; hence, the need to have them share in leadership positions.
“I was actually looking for a woman running mate, but I missed the boat on that one. I must confess because women are very much at the centre of this election. However, the UDF manifesto is centred on innovation, funding and empowerment of women,” he said.
Atupele also said UDF was supporting women candidates by providing them with resources for the parliamentary and local government elections with the aim of having more women representation.
In her remarks, Women’s Manifesto Movement coordinator Maggie Kathewera-Banda hailed Atupele for committing to support women and people with disabilities, further observing that the UDF manifesto was in line with the Women Manifesto.
She said the Women’s Manifesto Movement will be tracking commitments by presidential candidates to ensure they honour them.
The Women’s Manifesto Movement is calling on political leaders to address systemic gender inequalities that hinder women’s and girls’ participation in education, healthcare, economic empowerment, governance, politics, leadership, access to justice, and climate change resilience, among other critical areas.
