FLASHBACK: One of the many forum held to whip up women’s participation in politics
By Frank Sainworla, Jr., fsainworla@yahoo.com
Out of 33 aspirants documented to contest the upcoming November 16 Representative By-elections in four counties, only two of them are women, the National Elections Commission (NEC) revealed at the weekend.
The poor statistics on the number of female aspirants registering comes in the wake of massive engagement and mobilization exercise by a number of women and prodemocracy organizations to promote increased women’s political participation and representation on the ballot in elections. In the current 54th Legislature, there are a limited number of women, with only two in the upper House–the Senate.
Liberia and Africa’s first elected female President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been among prominent women to step up campaign for increased women political participation. Could this be seen as a prelude of what is to come in the 2023 presidential and general elections? This is the 64-thousand dollars question that many, who are hoping for a stronger women’s presence in elective position would want an answer in the negative.
Announcing the end of the nomination process on Friday, NEC Chairman, Davidetta Browne-Lansanah said now that candidates nominations has close, the Commission will begin vetting the 33 applicants to come up with the list of qualified candidates to contest the polls in Bomi, Nimba, Bong and Grand Gedeh Counties.
Liberia has to hold By-elections in the four counties, because Representatives Edwin Snowe, Jeremiah Koung, Prince Moye and Zoe Emmanuel Pennue contested and won Senatorial seats in the 2020 Special Senatorial elections.
And this is costing the Liberian government close to two million United States dollars to conduct these elections.
The nomination exercise was opened at the headquarters of NEC on September 13, 2021 and ended last Friday, September 24, 2021.