Empowering Women in Politics Empowering Women in Politics Empowering Women in Politics
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Empowering Women in Politics Empowering Women in Politics Empowering Women in Politics This publication was supported by: Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the OSCE Presence in Albania. 2 Empowering Women in Politics Foreword Ambassador Florian Raunig, Head of OSCE Presence in Albania Interviews 1. Ms Mimi Kodheli 2. Ms Voltana Ademi 3. Ms Albana Vokshi 4. Ms Rajmonda Balili 5. Ms Evis Kushi 6. Ms Nushe Hoxhaj 7. Ms Felek Ibrahimi 8. Ms Arjana Pupa 9. Ms Sanije Batku 3 Empowering Women in Politics 4 Empowering Women in Politics Foreword This is the second edition of the OSCE Presence in Albania’s publication “Women in Politics”. It contains interviews with some of the most distinguished Albanian women in politics including Ms Mimi Kodheli, the first female Albanian Minister of Defence and Ms Voltana Ademi, the first female major of Shkodra. Both Minister Kodheli and Major Ademi made their leap into politics from successful professional careers. Two distinguished women parliamentarians, Ms Evis Kushi and Ms AlbanaVokshi, are also given the chance to talk about their experiences and the challenges of gender equality. The mayor of Patos, Ms Rajmonda Balili, who won her second mandate in 2015, talks about her achievements and future plans. Ms Nushe Hoxhaj, Ms Felek Ibrahimi, Ms Sanije Batku and Ms Arjana Pupa, strong women from different regions of the country who have been part of local government, civil society and political life share their experiences also on how the National Platform for Women changed their lives. The National Platform is an informal network established under the framework of the OSCE Presence’s “Women in Governance” project in 2010 bringing together women from across the political spectrum and from civil society. This publication aims to increase awareness about the role of women in political life in Albania; women who are key stakeholders and actors; women who want a better life for women and a better future for their country. All of the women portrayed in this book have faced challenges and obstacles in attempting to enter the world of politics, as well as in the course of their political careers. With the challenges have come remarkable successes, however, thanks to their dedication, perseverance, and in many cases timely 5 Empowering Women in Politics support from others. Their experiences will hopefully encourage other women to see that they can make a valuable contribution to improving life in Albania; to trust in their abilities; and to stand as candidates in the upcoming elections. These women’s stories are worth reading and remembering. Ambassador Florian Raunig Head of Presence OSCE Presence in Albania 6 Empowering Women in Politics MIMI KODHELI by Irena Shabani She is Albania’s first female Defence Minister - a tall lady with sharp eyes and quick wits. Her experience in politics dates back to 2000, when she started out as the Deputy Mayor of Tirana. She believes that Albania will continuously change for the better. She believes in women’s power and she promotes it every time she has a chance. Children are her weak point, not just her son - but all children, wherever they are. How did you get involved in politics? What are your challenges? Who are your supporters, who are your opponents? The day I got involved in politics seems so far away now. By now it might come to seem like a day out of the ordinary. Yet in fact there comes a day in the life of every future politician when she or he is asked to jump in by someone already involved in politics. That was my case. A political career was not at all in my plans of that time, because I was a well-paid professional, and I was doing the kind of job I had envisaged for myself, and it had taken me many years of hard work to make it till there. Yet I got involved in politics with the good will to change the city I was born and grew up in, our capital city. I had just returned from abroad, and I found out my city had actually changed – sadly for the worse. There were a lot of issues to grapple with; no services were provided, the city was dirty, the facades were falling apart, the urban tissue was being violated. This was the driving force for me because all of my loved ones lived inside this city. I believed in the person who invited me to be part of this effort. Back then he was Mayor of Tirana; today he is the Prime Minister of Albania. I sincerely believed in my power of will when it came to the transformation my city. I have said it before, and I will always repeat it - I saw it as a challenge. I went at it with all I had in me, and that’s the way I handle challenges. I remember that in 2004 Edi Rama was chosen as the best 7 Empowering Women in Politics mayor in the world, Tirana was transformed and I was the right hand of such a prominent man in the local government. That was my way over the last 15 years. I can frankly say I couldn’t have possibly predicted it would go so far. How challenging was it working with a man like Edi Rama? I think I am not the right person to answer this question for the simple fact that I did not get to know Edi Rama when I entered politics; I knew him from before. I do think that helped me have with him a relationship that differed from that of many of our colleagues who got to know him through work relations or simply made their acquaintance to him later than me. Ours was a close relationship. Today as 15 years ago I am still one of his colleagues - this shows that it has all worked out well in the absence of any extraordinary feat of endurance; in fact, the opposite holds true. If you go through such a long road, you are sure to infringe upon certain interests, because you have to take decisions that can potentially have a significant impact on other people’s lives. You can choose to be generic or specific about this, but at the end of the day I do think that the overall outcome in my case was positive. Producing outcomes was the most important thing to me; the positive result of what we wanted to achieve and the capacity to make it happen without too much pain. I believe our endeavour enabled me to come closer to my aims for the period that marks my involvement with politics. How did you feel about your opponents’ attacks? How did it feel at the beginning and how does it feel now? I come from a career in the banking sector. I was not an absolute beginner when I entered politics. When I did, I had 15 years of professional experience to rely on. To that, I can add up my working years before the ‘90s. I had knowledge of the previous system on the top of the new economy after the ‘90s. I had also some working experience abroad, so it all helped when I entered politics. I did not have to face unbearable blows or big surprises of the sort I had not run into before. Politics is much harder than a life spent 8 Empowering Women in Politics outside of it for a number of sound reasons. Yet if you have a goal, then it makes you stick to the price you set to yourself, and to the target you aim at. This enables you to stand up to all malignancies, negative passions and prejudices. It helps you to remain on track. What do you think of the political developments in Albania? Is there progress in sight? It is hard to summarize the extent of political developments in Albania in just a couple of words, but certainly I can share my thoughts on the political momentum, in view of my public position as a protagonist in the political life. My overall opinion about our political development is positive. I believe Albania makes a step forward every day. Sometimes it stops and stumbles, but barriers help because they make you reflect. Sometimes we rush forward and this is also good because so we can catch up with the pace of others. Sometimes we bounce back to where we were, and this is not good, but nonetheless I believe that these steps help us learn from our mistakes, so they are not repeated. The dialectics of political development in Albania is unstoppable. Albania is on its way towards the EU integration. It is on the right path toward a full democratic development and it advances towards it every day. Albania is on its path towards the rule of law. Rule of law is certainly a big word, but at the end of the day we will walk down that path. Even though our society falls short of developmental standards compared to the rest of Europe, it remains on the right track. We live in a society that tries to be fair and honest towards its vulnerable groups. We look towards an overall increase of social awareness, which still remains a difficult thing to achieve. It is easier to build a whole edifice than to educate a new generation with the necessary self-esteem that enables respect towards others, towards the country’s institutions and towards the environment.