Africa-Press – Botswana. The Alliance for Progressives women’s league (APWL) are planning to push the party national executive committee to avail more seats to women ahead of the 2024 General Elections.
AP Women’s league President Pushie Manyeneng told this publication that even though women still fear the political space, there is need to encourage them to take up leadership positions.
She stated that they have started conducting trainings to encourage women within the party to contest for various positions adding that they are expecting more women from the party to contest for the national executive committee positions at the upcoming elective congress slated for this year.
Manyeneng highlighted that they have lobbied more women to take up positions in party structures in order to gain confidence ahead of the 2024 general elections.
“It is our desire to be given more constituencies every general election but for this to happen there has to be a will from other opposition parties as well,” she said.
She further said women are still lagging behind in the political space adding that their main challenge has always been lack of finance.
She said it has proven that women struggle to mount a strong campaign against men adding that political funding can help a great deal to address this issue.
“I want to believe that if we can get finances then women will be able to contest for parliamentary and council positions and even win them because we have a lot of capable women who can lead us,” said Manyeneng.
Manyenyane also said they have continued to lobby their central committee to ensure that whenever a women intends to contest in the primary elections she should be waived or be allowed to compete with another women.
“In 2019 only two women were given the chance to contest in the general elections but now we are saying that we want more seats in the upcoming general elections,” added Manyenyane.
She further highlighted that they only have seven women in the central committee adding that they are hoping to have more at the congress.
Recently Gender Links consultant under political participation, Chigedze Chinyepi said women meeting in Palapye are calling for the new Constitution to do the following; change of the electoral system in Botswana, to mixed member representation, drawing on the advantages of both the First Past The Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representative (PR) system, provide for a 50% candidate quota regardless of the electoral system, extensive advocacy and awareness on the importance of women’s equal and effective participation in politics, especially at the local level, the coalface of service delivery, capacity building for women, especially young women, to run for political office and become effective agents of change and fund political parties.
Meeting held under the banner of “local action for gender justice”, the women from all five of the main political parties (Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), Botswana Congress Party (BCP), Botswana National Front (BNF) and Alliance for Progressives (AP) are serving and aspiring councilors and Members of Parliament (MPs) for the 2024 elections.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
