Obstacles Facing Women Women in the Candidate Selection Process by Political Parties

Transcription

1 Obstacles Facing Women Women in the Candidate Selection Process by Political Parties There are many barriers and hurdles confronting women seeking leadership positions in almost all countries of the world. It is no different for women in Yemen. In April 1993, the first parliamentary elections took place since the unification of Yemen on May 22, Not a single member of the inaugural parliament of the new Republic was a woman. In the 1997 parliamentary elections two women were elected to the parliament, only one of whom was reelected in the 2003 parliamentary elections. Despite nearly half of the voter registry being comprised of female voters, only one woman representative is in the current parliament and, there are fewer than 40 female members of the Local Councils. How are we to explain the incredibly low number of women involved in public decision-making? Among other factors, one important reason for the meager representation of women in parliament and local councils is the low number of female candidates political parties in Yemen nominate to run in these elections. It is unclear how many women will be elected in the next parliament. Importantly, no one can apprise precisely how many female candidates political parties will nominate to run for elections. Nonetheless, the primary hurdle ambitious Yemeni women seeking leadership positions may encounter will be obtaining the nomination of their political parties as candidates to the parliamentary elections in Prior to the 2006 Local Councils elections, president Saleh, in appreciation of the contribution of GPC women members and the importance of woman political participation, promised that 15 percent of GPC candidates in any future election would be female. Similarly, the leadership of opposition parties repeatedly claim to include women members as party candidates in elections. However, when an election is about to take place, the GPC and opposition political parties inevitably renege on their pledges to have female candidates run. Even among those parties that do allow female candidates to run, women are commonly made to run in electoral districts in which the party, regardless of who

2 its candidate was, was unlikely to win. Nonetheless, in the aftermath of elections, all political parties accuse one another of marginalizing female candidates despite not taking action to empower them. Indeed, political parties in Yemen remain either hesitant or reluctant to have female candidates run in any election. Why is it difficult for women to obtain the nomination of political parties in Yemen? Five factors can be identified as the main obstacles confronting women in the candidates selection process by Yemeni political parties: 1) The type of electoral system, 2) cultural influences, 3) internal party organization and rules, 4) a dearth of women candidates who are willing and able to run, and 5) difficulties women face during the election campaign. 1-The Electoral System Type: Yemen s parliament consists of 301 seats, each representing a distinct electoral district. Parliamentary elections are based on a single-member district electoral system and the winner is determined based on a first-past-the-post system in which the candidate with the most votes (whether it be a plurality or a majority) wins. In such a system it is impossible or at least very difficult for independent women candidates to win against male candidates supported by a party, especially in rural and semi-urban constituencies. It is possible, however, for women candidates with political party backing to compete and win against independent male candidates in several urban cities of Yemen. Nonetheless, political parties are either reluctant or hesitant to nominate women in the upcoming parliamentary elections because the mentality of the leadership remains that a party s chance of winning elections is higher with male candidates than with female candidates. Political parties do not nominate women because they see women candidates as liabilities. Thus, the current electoral system represents a disadvantage for Yemeni women unless some women members are included in party s list of candidates running in elections and that parties fully support women candidates in their campaigns. Equally importantly for the prospects of female candidates, parties must not secretly support male members running in elections as independent candidates.

3 In the absence of constitutionally binding quotas for the number of women in Parliament, the guarantee of a party nomination quota remains the only option for Yemeni women to have a chance to run for and become members of parliament. The nomination quota does not guarantee female candidates will win, however. Their chances of winning increase if parties strongly stand behind them in the campaign. This was evident in the 2006 Local Councils elections when 35 out of 37 GPC female candidates won as a result of the firm support GPC showed to them during the election campaign period. 2-The Influence of Culture: What this means is the cultural context influences the perception of how friendly the political environment will be to women standing for election and the likelihood of them winning. Women seeking elected positions are often discriminated against because of the perception that politics is hostile and aggressive, i.e. not something suitable for women. Politics remains a male domain where many voters still view men as better leaders than women. Males are generally the heads of households and are perceived to be better equipped to deal with decision-making in rural areas in traditional societies. Voters in rural and tribal areas vote based on tribal or religious affiliation rather than following a political ideology or a specific platform. In addition to the political, economic, and social problems Yemen faces, the majority of Yemenis embrace customs and traditions which stand against women political participation. These perceptions and other customs and traditions standing against the progress of women have existed inside Yemeni societies for many past generations, only exacerbated by high illiteracy rates, especially among Yemeni women. Overcoming these ideas will require massive efforts by women inside political parties, NGOs focused on women s issues, and the cooperation of political parties. 3-Party Organization: What this means is how strong, well-structured and organized the party is in order to give leverage to female members and to allow several women members to run in an election as the party s candidates. Political parties vary with regard to the number of women candidates, if any, they will nominate in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The nomination of women candidates by Yemen s political parties, however, depends on several factors such as the centralization and decentralization of the nomination process

4 inside the party, the time frame of the nomination process, and competition between male and female party members. The process for nominating candidates to run for parliament remains very centralized with the male party leadership exercising great control. While the exact process for choosing candidates is not known, there are concerns that women may be largely excluded from these deliberations. For example, women are generally excluded from qat chewing sessions, which are a forum in which party members informally discuss many matters. Beyond centralization of the nomination process, candidates are often chosen near the campaign season for the election, thus not providing potential women members adequate time to lobby for the party nomination. Furthermore, the competition between male and female members for party nomination based on name recognition and visibility in the community inevitably favors the nomination of male members over female members. Oftentimes female candidates are seen by the male party leadership as liabilities and therefore, political parties may not include women members to run as party candidates. Altogether, this means male members stand a better chance of getting the party s nomination than do female members. The factors the centralization of the nomination process, the issue of time constraints, and male-female competition within the party suggest an important way to empower women. Designing a clear organizational structure with functioning decision-making institutions within the party apparatus will allow women who wish to run for parliament a better opportunity to do so. Most political parties claim to have such an organizational structure in place, but it is seldom adhered to, in my opinion. Having clear bureaucratic procedures by which candidates are chosen can be a distinct advantage to women. When the rules are unwritten it becomes harder for women to break into the inner circle of power. 4-Supply of women candidates: An argument that is sometimes used by political parties everywhere is that there are not enough women willing to run in the elections. Moreover, others contend, women lack experience and confidence to stand in the electoral campaign. The high illiteracy rate among Yemeni women only fuels arguments about their lack of qualifications

5 There is no doubt in my mind that there are many qualified women to run as party candidates to the upcoming parliamentary elections. Yet, because of the complexity of Yemeni societies and these factors it may be difficult for the GPC, for example, to recruit the 45 potential women candidates necessary to fulfill the President s pledge to have 15 per cent of GPC candidates be female. A first step would be to identify potential female party members, and other women without a party affiliation, who are seeking leadership positions. This is something women s organizations can do. Active women s organization are critical in assisting potential candidates in coming forward and expressing publicly their desire and ambition to seek leadership positions. Women s organizations also play important roles in providing female candidates with experience in public settings, in building their self-confidence and in providing female candidates a support base. 5-Election Campaigning: A final obstacle to female candidate that must be addressed are the many barriers facing women in election campaigning. Women may face discrimination from both male and female voters during the very act of campaigning and contesting in this usually male dominated domain. Psychological barriers such as gender socialization and stereotyping remain a barrier for some women. Men has wider and stronger social networks and are able to campaign more effectively outside the party structure as they have more links to businesses and professional networks that can provide financial resources and expertise. Additionally, Women cannot afford the initial financing a candidate requires to launch a campaign for candidature to establish name recognition, gain exposure and organize a campaign team. Also, active campaigning demands time and flexibility which means women will have to spend more time away from the family. And finally, women candidates may face travel constraints that other candidates do not. The five obstacles identified above, however, may vary from one country to another in terms of their impact in the recruitment of women candidates or in the appointment of women to senior party and government posts by political parties. The variation depends on the political regime and the level of democratic development in a country, the level of organization of women s sectors, the supply and availability of women candidates, the strength and organization of political parties, and the electoral system.

6 The more democratic and freely elected the political regime of a country is, the better the environment for women to run for office. The more the citizens in a country are civilized, and the greater level of development, the more women can be assigned high posts in the government and inside political parties. In Yemen, a female party member seeking a leadership position may not get the support and votes of male and female members of the same party. A potential woman candidate has to struggle hard to get family support and the support of relatives and neighbors to accept the idea of being nominated. Certainly, she would not likely get the votes of other female voters in her constituency, especially of females of the other political parties, even those not having candidates run. A potential candidate may have to risk losing her family if she is determined and persistent to run for office against their will. The stronger and more internally democratic the political party is, the greater chances for women members to be appointed to senior party posts. The male dominance of the leadership of Yemeni political parties, however, makes it difficult for women members to have a say over who can run as party candidates in any elections. Moreover, many political parties are not standing on solid ground in order to give up some leverage to women members to run as party candidates. Women will likely remain on the sidelines of Yemeni politics as parties continue to use them as a political token and court their votes, but do not include them as candidates for parliamentary elections. Lastly, the electoral system actually constitutes the tip of the iceberg of obstacles facing women seeking to be nominated by political parties in Yemen. There are other factors which influence the selection of women candidates by political parties. The cultural standing of women, the organization of women in civil society, the lack of financial resources to run an effective election campaign, and Ineffective women s organizations focusing specifically on women issues. Conclusion and recommendations In the absence of constitutionally binding quotas for the number of women in parliament, a party nomination quota remains the only option for women to run for parliament. The nomination quota does not guarantee women candidates will

7 win, however, their chances of winning increase if political parties strongly stand behind them in the campaign. While the proportional list is seen to be the most woman friendly electoral system, it is crucial that a percentage of the candidates on parties lists be women if this form of electoral is adopted in Yemen. Active women organizations, female party members, and advocates and activists need to identify practical actions and measures to overcome and minimize the obstacles standing against the nomination of women by political parties. And international organizations and donors should support these efforts in order to ensure that Yemeni women have a chance to be nominated and elected to the parliament. Traditional cultural values work against the advancement, progress, and participation of women in any political process. To eliminate negative attitudes about women in politics In Yemen requires joint efforts of all interested groups in the political participation of women. Organized efforts to eradicate some of the negative customs and traditions that stand as impediments to the progress of women should at the same time, highlight the positive impact of woman political participation. Political parties leaderships should consider having clear bureaucratic procedures by which candidates are chosen inside their parties since it can be a distinct advantage to women. But, when the rules are unwritten, it becomes harder for women to break into the inner circle of power. By: Hakeem Azzadeen Hakeem.azzadeen@gmail.com