Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare says it is considering legal reforms to implement a 40 percent quota for women women parliamentary aspirants as representation currently stands at 22 percent.
Speaking at an engagement meeting with the Judiciary hosted by the High-Level Consortium for Women’s Participation in Politics in Lilongwe on Tuesday, the ministry’s chief gender and development officer Chimwemwe Kussein said they have been pushing for a quota so that at least 40 percent of parliamentary seats can be taken up by women.
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She said the ministry has also introduced various strategies, including the National Gender Policy and an empowerment strategy aimed at addressing gender-based electoral challenges and supporting women, the youth and people with disabilities to participate in politics.
Said Kussein: “We have just recently launched a strategy on political empowerment of women so that all the issues pertaining to elections are looked into.”
During the meeting, organised as part of efforts to promote greater female participation in politics in the country, participants highlighted that violence against women remains a significant barrier to their participation in politics, with many women forced to withdraw from elections due to inadequate support in reporting incidents.
To address this, High Court of Malawi Judge Eddah Eddai Ngwira said the Judiciary is working to improve reporting mechanisms and has established a Judiciary Committee on Elections to document cases more effectively.
She acknowledged that addressing violence against women in election is crucial.
Said Ngwira: “The committee is in the process of developing ways to ensure that these cases are recorded.”
The meeting with the Judiciary was aimed at highlighting the importance of gender-responsive justice, with a focus on the importance of safeguarding women’s rights and addressing violence against women in elections as Malawi approaches the September 16 2025 General Election
