On average, women occupy 27 percent of seats in the national executive committees (NECs) of major parties.
This is according to Nation on Sunday analysis of gender representation in NECs following the recently held political parties’ elective conventions ahead of 2025 polls.
The analysis highlights a persistent gender imbalance in the political leadership structures.
Political analysts warn that the trend threatens to derail efforts toward gender equality in next year’s elections.
Coalition for the Empowerment of Women and Girls chairperson Hellen Chabunya said the figures highlight a broader issue of entrenched patriarchy which undermines the push for gender equality.
Governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has 25 percent of its leadership composed of women, holding 18 out of 72 positions.
The main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) reports an even lower proportion, with women occupying only nine of its 36 National Governing Council seats, representing 25 percent.
political parties is minimal
UTM, which held its convention last week, has 11 women among its 41 executive members, translating to 26.8 percent, the party’s publicist Felix Njawala confirmed.
Meanwhile, in the United Democratic Front (UDF), women comprise 32 percent of its leadership which has eight women and 17 men.
The People’s Party (PP) has 38 percent female representation, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) boasts 60 percent.
Alliance for Democracy’s (Aford) 117 member NEC has 33 women as confirmed by its secretary general Linda Limbe, representing 28 percent.
“We have a lot of room for improvement, however, we are the only party so far with women in most senior positions,” she said.
The Gender Equality Act advocates for a 60:40 gender representation in public service, but the law does not bind political parties.
As Malawi gears up for the 2025 polls, Chabunya fears that the gender gap at party leadership level will affect women’s visibility and chances in the elections.
“The numbers signal significant challenges for women. Without transformative policies or increased lobbying, these disparities will persist,” she warned.
Ahead of their conventions, the parties introduced measures to encourage female participation such as halving nomination fees for women candidates.
However, Chabunya argued that such initiatives, though commendable, are insufficient to address systemic issues.
“If the leadership structures lack diversity, it’s unlikely that candidate lists will reflect the 60:40 benchmark.
“Without deliberate interventions—such as legislated quotas or targeted support for women candidates—like in Rwanda, the current underrepresentation could persist,” she said.
According to www.unwomen.org/en, in the 1990s, women made up an average of 18 percent of Rwandan Parliament members.
The 2003 Rwandan Constitution set a quota of 30 percent women Parliament members.
After the 2008 elections, women made up 56 percent of Parliament. The number jumped to 64 percent after the 2013 elections.
Currently, some 63.7 percent of parliamentary seats and 53.8 percent in the Senate are held by women, indicates the Rwandan Parliament website www.parliament.gov.rw/.
PP secretary general Ben Chakhame defended his party’s record, citing former president Joyce Banda as an example of their commitment to gender equality.
“We did not bar or hinder any female aspirants. We are lobbying for 70 percent of our shadow candidates to be women and the youth,” he said.
Meanwhile, People’s Development Party (PDP) national publicity secretary Rhodes Msonkho said the achieved its highest women representation following a campaign that encouraged more women to contest for the positions.
He said: “We encouraged women and youths to take part in our convention. We chose a woman [Bessie Chirambo] as the convention chairperson who we believe also encouraged more women to compete,” he said yesterday.
Meanwhile, Njawala said UTM can do better, adding: “We’re remaining with a few positions and we will definitely increase the number of women.”
Centre for Civil Society Strengthening (CCSS), which forms part of the 50:50 Campaign seeking to level the gender balance in public positions, expressed worry over the political party trends.
CCSS executive director Viwemi Chavula urged parties to “adopt special measures [quotas] as short-term measures. We need to go beyond rhetoric”.
He said the female representation in parties spells doom for women in the upcoming elections and warns that without gender quotas in election of parliamentarians and councillors, the country faces a long way to achieving the 60:40 ratio.
“As a country, we need to go back to the 2017 Special Law Commission Review Report. The onus is in the hands of duty bearers [Ministry of Justice, leadership of political parties in Parliament and Malawi Electoral Commission] to embrace inclusivity.
“There is a Layman’s Bill on legislative quotas gathering dust on the shelves of the Ministry of Justice. Legal reforms should not be selective in the next electoral cycle,” he adds.
The Layman’s Bill, among others, proposes the designation of some constituencies for women representatives only and taxpayers funding women’s campaigns.
Following the 2019 elections, 23 percent of parliamentary seats were held by women, amounting to 44 out of the 193 members of Parliament.
It fell short of the 50-50 representation advocated by gender equality campaigns and the Southern African Development Community target of 30 percent.
In the local government polls, women held 14.5 percent of seats in local councils, with 67 women elected as counciiors across the country.
