Voters, candidates in electoral processes: FAFEN calls to enhance participation of women

ISLAMABAD: The Parliament, political parties, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and civil society must join forces to enhance the participation of women as voters and candidates in electoral processes.

This consensus emerged during the launch of Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN)’s report, Women in Elections, analysing women’s participation in the 2024 General Elections (GE-2024).

The event, held as part of FAFEN’s International Human Rights Day celebrations and the culmination of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, brought together sitting and former women parliamentarians belonging to Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam Pakistan and Qaumi Watan Party along with political parties’ representatives, civil society, election experts, and journalists.

The participants emphasised the need for comprehensive electoral reforms before the next general elections to enhance women's participation as voters and candidates. They also highlighted the importance of promoting intra-party democracy to ensure women’s meaningful and equitable involvement in political processes.

Speaking at the event, FAFEN National Council member Anbreen Ajaib stressed the urgency of electoral reforms to ensure gender parity. She described the narrowing gender deficit as a promising step but emphasized that much work remains to achieve equitable representation for women in the political sphere.

Kanwal Mehmood of FAFEN presented the report’s findings, highlighting a significant rise in women’s participation as voters, polling staff, and candidates. She revealed that women cast 24.4 million of the 58.9 million total votes in GE-2024, marking an increase of 2.7 million compared to GE-2018. This growth is nearly double the increase observed in votes cast by men, which rose by 1.6 million. Similarly, the number of female candidates contesting GE-2024 nearly doubled compared to GE-2018, largely driven by a notable surge in independent female candidates.

The report emphasizes prioritizing women voter registration in constituencies where the gender gap in electoral rolls still exceeds 10 percent, while advocating for a reduced threshold of five percent in constituencies where the gap has already fallen below 10 percent.

To improve women’s voter turnout, the report suggests considering legal amendments to enforce the existing minimum requirement of 10 percent female turnout at the polling station level. In extreme cases, where low turnout at certain polling stations could significantly impact the election outcome, it recommends empowering the Election Commission to call for a re-poll in those areas where the number of registered voters at such stations exceeds the margin of victory.

For enhancing women’s electoral participation as candidates, FAFEN proposes the development of a comprehensive, long-term strategy addressing the legal, socio-political, and institutional barriers that hinder a substantial increase in the number of female candidates contesting elections.

FAFEN Chairperson Mukhtar Javed concluded the event by underscoring the report’s significance in promoting women’s political empowerment and human rights. He reaffirmed FAFEN’s commitment to fostering an inclusive electoral environment and addressing societal polarisation to strengthen democratic processes.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024