With one day to go before presidential candidates start submitting nomination papers, Women’s Manifesto Movement says it anticipates that political parties have heeded their call for female running mates.
Women’s Legal Resource Centre (Wolrec) executive director Maggie Kathewera Banda, whose organisation is among those taking the lead in the initiative, said in a written response yesterday that taking a woman as a running mate sends a message that Malawi has an inclusive democracy that involves people from all demographics.
She said: “Women, just like men, have a right to participate in making decisions over affairs of their country and the presidency being the highest authority, it entails that women will be able to contribute to high-level decisions of their country.
“No country can develop if more than half of its population is not given a chance to participate. So, through a female presidency, it means women’s needs are known and taken care of.”
Presidential candidates are set to start submitting their nomination papers for the September 16 General Election to Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) tomorrow at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe, an activity that will run up to next Wednesday.
Of the 20 presidential candidates that have obtained nomination papers from MEC, only one, former president Joyce Banda, is a woman.
Kathewera Banda described the situation as a concern. She said this is mainly due to the patriarchal nature of the society.
MEC’s final voter registration figures show that 7 203 390 people have registered to vote, representing 65.7 percent of the total number of eligible voters as projected by the National Statistical Office.
Out of the total, 4 114 720 are female and 3 088 670 are male.
