The organization Midjers di Guiné, No Lanta believes that the participation of Guinean women in politics, both as candidates and as governors, is still far below what is determined by law, despite the fact that they represent the majority of the population.
In early August 2018, the Parliament of Guinea-Bissau approved a law establishing a minimum quota of 36% for women, who make up more than half of the population, in the lists of candidates for elected office.
According to the voter registration conducted this year, a total of 893,618 voters were registered, of which 459,609 were women.
Despite the law and the numbers, the presence of women in their legal places on the lists of candidates for deputies as of June 4 is weak, mainly in the country’s largest political forces, and only one woman leads one of the 20 parties. and two coalitions that will participate in the elections.
“It is a process, a struggle that is not easy and cannot be expected to be linear. There are advances, setbacks, until we can fix something, because it is a process, not just a change in mentality, but also a game of interests,” said Isabelle Almeida from the NGO Midjers di Guiné, No Lanta (Women of Guinea, Let’s Stand Up ).
According to the official, it is necessary to realize that “in order for women to take certain positions, it is necessary that the same number of men leave.”
“It is not easy for political parties to manage this issue,” he said, stressing the importance of the parliament in monitoring the implementation of the law, as well as other institutions related to the electoral process, including the Supreme Court.
Isabelle Almeida explained that women’s networks and platforms had an agenda set up with the People’s National Assembly to work “precisely to prepare the conditions” for more women in the next legislative elections, “but that was not possible.”
Guinean President Oumaro Sissoko Embalo, citing a serious political crisis, decided to dissolve parliament in May 2022.
In a world where the demographic weight of women tends to be greater, Isabelle Almeida advocated that all decision-making bodies should reflect this “demographic representation and the interests and ambitions of this layer.”
“It is good that we have this balance and this proportionality to make sure that the interests of all social groups are taken into account and that these groups have a voice and participation in decisions,” he said.
When asked about the conditions in which women live in Guinea-Bissau, Isabelle Almeida explained that it is they who take on “responsibility for the survival of the family, solving pressing issues, health and education, caring for children, and this in itself requires too much a lot of overhead. “
Especially when it comes to one of the world’s poorest countries, where the response of sectors such as education and health, and even social security itself, is inefficient, where electricity and running water do not reach the whole country, he said.
“We are talking about a country where 80% of the population is not connected to the formal economy, and it is women who are most represented in the informal economy and, as a result, find themselves physically inaccessible, on top of all the psychological overload. a point of wear that does not contribute to this attention to other issues, including political issues,” explained Isabelle Almeida.
Asked if education is necessary to increase women’s political participation, Isabelle Almeida said that “not only school education, but civic education, economic empowerment are all factors that will provide a new vision, a change in mentality and the objective conditions for women to gradually occupy these spaces of law.
With the adoption of the parity law in 2018, Guinea-Bissau joined a group of countries that have taken steps to increase women’s participation in politics and other areas of decision-making.
United Nations data show that in countries that have adopted quota laws, women are currently represented at an average of 25%.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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