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Election Watch A3 Bull 8.Indd Election Watch Produced by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Issue No. 8 2014 SEPTEMBER 2014 Will the partiesSpecial Briefing deliver Report No. 7 on By Amanda Clayton NAMIBIA AT A CROSSROADS: gender equality?50/50 AND THE WAY FORWARD here has been much ado, media hype, and talk over the course of this year on the issue of gender parity. And now thatT most political party manifestos and party lists have been released or confirmed, it’s time for an assessment on what the upcoming elections might deliver for women. At government level, a number of policies, action plans and ratified regional protocols support the drive for gender equality. With these instruments in place, there is no doubt that at least theoretically, Namibia is committed to gender equality. For example, the National Gender Policy calls for an increase in women’s participation at all levels of decision- making, as well as the provision of support to these women; while the Gender Plan of Action outlines how this goal should be achieved, by highlighting capacity building, skills devel- opment, mentorship and confidence building for women in parliament and other areas of public sector; and representa- tion in all spheres of public life. Other instruments that sup- port gender equality beyond governance include Vision 2030 and the National Development Plans; the Married Per- sons Equality Act (1996); the Combating of Domestic Vio- lence Act (2003); the Traditional Authorities Act (1995); and the Local Authorities Act (1992). In addition to these national policies, Namibia in 2008 rati- fied the Southern African Development Commission (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development, which calls all mem- ber states to ensure that by 2015, “50 percent of decision- making positions in the public and private sectors, the cabi- net, parliament, judiciary, all tribunals and commissions, including human rights bodies, civil society, traditional struc- tures, trade unions, political parties and the media are held Archives of Sister Namibia Courtesy of the by women.” 1 Namibia has also signed or ratified a plethora of other regional and international instruments, conventions Act is in terms of prescribing that parties “may not exclude or and protocols – many of which are“The combined legacy and of streamoppression- weighs heavily on women. As long as women are bound by poverty and as long as they are looked down restrict membership of the political party on the grounds of lined in the SADC Protocol. upon, human rights will lack substance. As long as outmoded ways of thinkingsex, race, prevent colour, ethnic women origin, from religion, making creed ora meaningfulsocial or contribution However, despite all these wonderful policies that highlight economic status”, and that they “may not advocate or aim to Namibia’s theoretical commitmentto to society, gender equality progress in gov -will be slow. As long as the nation refuses to acknowledge the equal role of more than half of itself, it is doomed to carry on its political activities” on these grounds either. ernance and beyond, the practical reality is different. failure.” – Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom Recommendations that had been made to the LRDC Currently, all levels of political governance – except the included an Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) sub- local authority level – hold less than 30 percent of women in mission that proposed that “for the party list system in office, as illustrated in the table on the right. ians.National By Assemblymid 2014, elections, women a ‘zebra held system’ 21.4 could percent be intro- of parliamentary The main reason that the local authorities continuously duced in which female and male candidates are alternated on have at least 42 percent women representation is because of seats worldwide. Although women are still clearly underrepre- Introduction the list to ensure a 50:50 gender balance. For first-past-the- quotas that call for this in Part 4 of Section 6 of the Local sentedpost regional politically, elections, this parties represents should be anrequired over to 100nomi -percent increase Authorities Amendment Act, which stipulates that: “For the nate a certain proportion of female2 candidates.” The Law purposes of any election contemplatedIn 2004, in paragraph Namibia (a) wasof both a regional and international leader in the past nineteen years. Although there have been varia- Reform and Development Commission (LRDC) itself, in a subsection (2), each party list shall contain as candidates for in the percentage of women holding parliamentary seats. By tionsreport in writtenthe implementation by Professor Gerhard of quota Tötemeyer policies, following on average, these such election (a) in the case of a municipal council or town national consultations in 2012 on electoral issues, proposed council consisting of 10 or fewer membersthis measure, or a village Namibia coun- ranked 4th in sub-Saharan Africa and provisions have led to an immediate and substantial increase that “gender equity should be pursued in all positions relating cil, the names of at least three female persons; (b) in the 17th worldwide. Ten years later, Namibia’s position has slipped in tothe electoral number tasks”; of that female the Ministry parliamentarians. of Regional and Local On average female case of a municipal councillor town council consisting of 11 Government Housing and Rural Development (MRLGHRD) or more members, the names ofto at 16th least fiveon thefemale African per- subcontinent and 51st worldwide (IPU representation in single or lower houses of parliament stands of the “50/50 Bill related to Regional Government, National sons”. 2 1 2014). Electoral gender quotas – which have been used wide- at Council22 percent and Local among Authority countries representation”; with and any that type “The of gender quota All other pieces of legislation that could determine the gen- for the review of the electoral law, the new Electoral Act (Act ‘zebra’ method of nomination when candidates are nomi- 3 der distribution in governance arely silentthroughout on the topic the of thesouthern African region - have the potential versus 13 percent in countries without quotas. 5 of 2014) does not make a single mention of the words ‘gen- nated for elections at national and local level should be representation of women, leaving parties to decide for them- to reverse this trend andder’, bring ‘woman’, Namibia ‘female/male’, back ‘equity’; to its and position in this way, as avoids legalised.” selves on whether and how they will ensure the gender prescribing how political parties should/can integrate gender equality envisioned in these instruments,a leader into on theirthis strucindicator- equity of ingender their party equality. lists and other candidate selections. The The use of electoral gender quotas has been particularly suc- 1 SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, 2008 tures. Despite various recommendations on gender made only respect in which gender is mentioned in the Electoral cessful2 Local inAuthorities southern Amendment African Act, Act countries 3 of 1997 in allowing women ac- Women’s global level of political representation has increased cess to positions of political decision making. Nine out of the rapidly alongside the institutionA ofBOUT gender ELECTION quotas. WA TCHIn 1995, fifteen Southern African Development Community (SADC) Election Watch is a bulletin containingwomen electoral constituted analysis and onlyvoter education 10 percent that will of appear the regularlyworld’s in theparliamentar run up to the 2014- Nationalmember Assembly countries and Presidential have Elections. adopted It is produced some as a PDF type of gender quota download and as a printed newspaper insert. Election Watch is a project of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). It is produced with the support of the European Union and The Namibian newspaper. The content of Election Watch is the sole responsibility of the IPPR. 1 These rankings measureComments the and percentage feedback should of women be sent toin the the IPPR, single PO Box or 6566, lower Windhoek, house Namibia. of Parliament. In the Namibian case they also include the six non-voting ap- pointedTel: (061)MPs 240514; in the fax: National (061) 240516; Assembly, email: [email protected]. which results For morein Namibia on Election having Watch checka total http://www.electionwatch.org.na of 24.4 percent female MPs in this chamber. 2 There are however still only 20 female heads of state out of 193 UN member states. This constitutes 10.4 percent. 3 Data from the Quota Project Database and the Inter-Parliamentary Union database online. Democracy Report is a regular publication featuring analysis and commentary relating to the legislative agenda of the Parliament of the Republic of Namibia. It is produced by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), PO Box 6566, Windhoek, Namibia. Tel: +264 61 240514, Fax: +264 61 240516, [email protected]. The publication is also available as a PDF download from http://www.ippr.org.na. Democracy Report is funded by the Embassy of Finland. SpecialReport2014_7 edit.indd 1 9/24/14 12:14 PM Election Watch Issue No. 8 2014 The recommendations relating to the National Assembly candidate in the 2014 Presidential election have fi elded a were not incorporated into the Electoral Act, and those female candidate for this position. The candidates fi elded for About the SADC Protocol on Gender and related to legislation on the regional councils and National the Presidential race include: Hage Geingob (Swapo), Hidipo Development Council are yet to be considered in the relevant acts. As Hamutenya (RDP), McHenry Venaani (DTA), Usutuaije The SADC Protocol on Gender and Development looks such, at the regional and national level, political parties are Maamberua (Swanu), Epafras Mukwiilongo (NEFF), Ben into integration and main streaming of gender issues into left to voluntarily incorporate gender into their party lists and Ulenga (CoD), Henk Mudge (RP), Asser Mbai (Nudo), and the SADC Programme of Action and Community Building programmes.
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