PHOTO: NEC Commissioners and participants pose for group photo
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
With presidential and legislative elections just eight months away, the National Elections Commission (NEC) is conducta week-long round table discussion to review legal documents of Inter Parties Consultative Committee (IPCC) so as to create more gender responsive parties.
Policy provisions within the NEC and political parties are also being reviewed at the meeting which kicked off at the beginning of the week.
The workshop, which brings together a cross session of representatives of political parties, is being held under the theme: “Promoting Inclusive and Safe Environment for the Participation of Women in Elections .”
It is being sponsored by the UN Women, Swedish and Irish governments and the United Nations Development Program, UNDP.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, NEC Commissioner, Josephine Gaye disclosed that the deliberation was organized purposely to review the provisions in the constitutions of political parties on gender, measures for non-violence and the role of the youths.
According to her, the discussion will also be reviewing political parties’ internal structures, external documents, including code of conduct, the VAWE Protocol and, the Memorandum of Understanding to enable them to be more gender responsive.
Commissioner Gaye added that the gathering will also focus on the 30 percent women quota in political party’s participation and the role of political parties in ensuring its attainment during candidate nomination exercise.
“This deliberation will enable to ascertain the position of each of the political parties on the issue of 30 percent for women participation in elected positions such as the legislative and national executive committee,” she said; adding: “ we also want to know what is the legal framework in responding to violence against women in your respective constitutions.”
In remarks, the Gender Specialist of UN Women, Symphorosa Oundo expressed her appreciation to NEC and the political parties because the workshop provides the forum where people can discuss the structures, the constitutions and responses against electoral violence against females of political parties.
“I am also grateful for the work the National Election Commission has done aimed at involving women in politics because in accordance to VAVE protocols, she said; noting: “the UN Women is also grateful to see level of the Liberian government involvement through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.”
Political parties on implementation of 30% gender quota.
Speaking on behalf of political parties, the Deputy National Vice Chairperson for Political and International Affairs at the Alternative National Congress, Victoria Koiquah stressed the need for the implementation of the 30 percent female participation on the legislative slots of political parties.
According to her, in most cases, these good laws about the participation of women in governance are sometimes ignored as evident by the leadership role of female in sensitive positions.”
Madam Koiquah, who is also a senatorial candidate on the ticket of the Collaborating Political Parties, called on the Liberian Senate to pass the new election laws bill into law because the National Elections Commission is only acting based on the old election law.
For her part, the Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Alice Howard underscored the need for political parties to respect the rights of women in political participation.
She claimed that women politicians have been bully, and harassed by their male contestants causing some of the female to leave the country.
“We are a civilized a society and Liberia has signed up to so many protocols to be behaving to female politicians in such an inhumane manner,” she said; noting: “these habits of bullying female politicians constitute discrimination and it is violation of the law.”