Op-ed: Botswana's political parties can help increase women's representation in parliament

There’s a question that has consistently gripped Botswana’s politics: bomme ba kae? (where are the women?). It became even more urgent with the country’s 2024 general elections. Only 28 women stood for parliament out of 258 contestants, representing 10.85%. Only three women won their seats. This represents 4.92% of the 61 seats. It’s a drop from 5.26% in the 2019 elections. In Botswana, women make up 54% of the eligible voters. Yet few occupy the corridors of power, where decisions and policies that affect them are made. [ . . . ] Botswana’s political parties need to address the under-representation of women in their own structures and in the selection of candidates for elections. This is crucial if they want to be inclusive democratic institutions that serve society. Way back in 2002, the Southern African Development Community introduced a gender checklist it hoped would introduce gender equality at every stage of an election. A number of countries have made specific provisions in the constitution for the inclusion of women or to ensure gender parity.
Read the full article here: The Conversation