By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
With General Elections getting closer, women’s advocacy group- 50/50 has urged Political Party leaders at the executive level to ensure that in preparing the list for Members of Parliament, they should place women in either first or second position for every district.
They made the plea in a letter addressed to the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed K. Konneh, and the Chairman of the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC), Abdulai Masiambay Bangura on the 9th May 2023.
The group is soliciting a 30 percent quota for women in the next Parliament and for measures to curb any form of financial inducement to nominate or select unpopular candidates.
In the letter, 50/50 notes with keen interest the nomination process and preparation for the forth-coming elections and that it is encouraged by some promising developments made by ECSL, PPRC, and political parties. They also felt encouraged by the passing of the Political Parties Act and the Public Elections Act which make accommodations for parties to nominate at least 30% of women.
50/50 also expressed joy regarding the assurance President Julius Maada Bio made during the closure of the 5th Parliament that the next Parliament will have more women and that his party has waived fees for all women aspirants.
The women also noted that four women have been nominated for the Vice President position and they commended the aforementioned actors for their proactive stances.
Concern was however expressed that unless concrete and deliberate steps are taken by political parties, the promises in the Acts and the political will demonstrated by President Julius Maada Bio will not materialize if there are no improved conditions for women.
Complaints by women in the APC and the SLPP that the nomination process has not been fully inclusive and concerns that the selection of candidates by elites who are unfamiliar with district candidate preferences, delegates voting based on financial incentives, rather than candidates' popularity, and unfair vetting processes of candidates have been highlighted by 50/50.
Mentioned also was a complaint from the Unity Party (UP) about not receiving nomination clearance for their candidate, Femi Claudius Cole.
They ended up calling on the ECSL, PPRC, political parties, and affected candidates to ensure that the progressive clauses within the Public Elections Act and the Political Parties Act are enforced.
The 50/50 Group is a non-partisan organization, advocating and campaigning for increased political participation and equal representation of women in decision-making processes and initiatives at all levels in Sierra Leone.
ECSL yesterday ended the approval of the 13 presidential nominees put forward by the respective parties. The Activity saw the only female Presidential candidate in this year’s polls Madam Iye Kakay of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) given provisional approval by ECSL. Her running mate is Ambrose Franklyn Kobi .
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