Forging Ahead Without an Affirmative Action Policy: Female Politicians in Sierra Leone’S Post-War Electoral Process

Forging Ahead without an Affirmative Action Policy: Female Politicians in Sierra Leone’s Post-War Electoral Process Hussaina J. Abdullah* Abstract In contemporary post-conflict Sierra Leone, women have managed to secure 13.5 per cent of seats in parliament – without affirmative action in place, thanks to women’s groups’ and coalitions’ mobilisation and activism. While the political resistance to Sierra Leone having a quota was high, the women’s movement has succeeded in forcing the political parties and the government to recognise that it is no longer politically viable to sidestep women’s rights, should they wish to capitalise on women’s voting power. As women’s organisations, in particular the 50/50 group, continue the struggle to introduce a quota, the challenge for Sierra Leonean women is how to ensure that the quota project is not hijacked by the male-dominated political establishment. To this aim, this article examines the ongoing efforts to politically consciencise women parliamentarians, society and political parties. 1 Introduction This article examines the struggles of women’s Post-war Sierra Leone has had four elections, two organisations and coalitions to seize the political each at the local and national levels since the moment of the formation of a post-conflict Sierra end of the country’s brutal civil war in 2002. It is Leone to press the government to recognise now preparing for its third cycle of elections for women’s political rights through the introduction the period 2012–17. These elections are of affirmative action. The political trajectory of significant in that they mark the return to Sierra Leone in engaging with the question of a normality and political stability in the country, quota for women has not however, followed after many years of being subject to patterns observed in other sub-Saharan African humanitarian backing.1 The re-introduction of countries. Rwanda (an exceptional case) has the the elections also paves the way to the re- highest percentage of women in parliament institution of a system of local governance after worldwide (56.3 per cent), while six African three decades of being frozen. The elections have countries2 can boast of having over 30 per cent also opened up opportunities for women to step female representation in their national up their demands for affirmative action and Parliaments, and another seven3 of having over 20 participation in public life. The first post-war per cent female parliamentarians (Inter- election, the Presidential and Parliamentary Parliamentary Union 2010). In Burundi, election held on 14 May 2002, witnessed an Mozambique, Rwanda and Uganda among increase in the number of female others, the post-conflict time opened up parliamentarians from its 1996 figure of 5, to 18. opportunities for introducing affirmative action. At the local level, there were 107 female However, in some other sub-Saharan contexts, contestants in the 2004 local election and 54 such as Sierra Leone, the demand for an were elected as councillors. This figure increased affirmative action policy was vehemently opposed to 225 and 86 contestants and elected by the state, a position that was maintained councillors, respectively, in the 2008 election. throughout the Constitution Review process in IDS Bulletin Volume 41 Number 5 September 2010 © 2010 The Author. Journal compilation © Institute of Development Studies Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA 62 2007, despite the fact that there are legislative Sierra Leone’s post-colonial political history is initiatives supporting its implementation. This blotted with coups, counter-coups, one-party resistance notwithstanding, female politicians dictatorship and finally, a civil war. The All with the assistance of women NGOs have Peoples Congress (APC) party’s success in the increased their participation and representation 1967 general election signaled the beginning of in national and local political arenas. the end of multiparty politics and women’s participation in elective politics. Women’s This introduction to this article is followed by a participation in parliament under the APC was section which discusses women’s participation in through appointment, especially as the 1978 one- politics from the early independence period, party constitution gave the President the specifically 1957, when suffrage was extended to executive power to appoint 10 persons to all women, and up to 2008, when the second local Parliament. Women’s token representation government election was conducted. The article continued under the military (1992–6). then focuses on women’s activism and their engagement with the state and other actors in Even though tokenism continued with the their advocacy for the adoption of an affirmative introduction of multiparty politics in 1996, Mrs action policy. The final section presents an Jeredine Williams of the Coalition for Progress analysis of the way in which the state has Party broke the glass ceiling in Sierra Leonean engaged with women’s demands for the politics by vying for the presidency. Although she implementation of an affirmative action policy. withdrew her candidature before the polls, her bravery must have inspired Zainab Bangura, 2 Women’s participation in Sierra Leonean whose running mate was Deborah Salam, a politics pre-2000 woman who contested the presidency in the 2002 Sierra Leonean women’s participation in the election. Another political party, the United country’s modern political structures began in National People’s Party had a female running 1938 with the election of Constance Cummings- mate. The 1996–2002 parliamentary sessions had John to the Freetown Municipal Council (Denzer only five women out of 80 parliamentarians and 1978: 444). This feat was repeated at a higher two female cabinet ministers and deputy level in 1954 when Mabel Dove became the first ministers each out of 25 and 20, respectively. woman in West Africa to be elected to the Although women’s activism before and during legislature (Government of Sierra Leone: GoSL the 1996 Presidential and parliamentary 2004). Although suffrage was extended to all elections did not translate into any meaningful women in 1957, it did not result in a groundswell representation in politics as they were once again of female contestants in the election that year. out-manoeuvred by the male-dominated political Only four women contested the election: two machinery, they were at least credited for their from the colony (Freetown) and two from the role in the struggle for the reintroduction of provinces. Mrs Cummings-John became the first multiparty politics (Steady 2006: 53). black African woman to govern a capital city by winning the 1961 Mayoral election. This trend 3 Women’s political agency in the post-civil war was short-lived as local governance was abolished era, 2002 onwards in 1972 and administrators were appointed to run The post-2000 era is strikingly different from the affairs of the various councils in the country. earlier periods in Sierra Leone’s political history, because of the end of the civil war and the Since Paramount Chiefs4 were allowed to emergence of Fifty-Fifty (50/50), a non-partisan participate in the electoral process, Ella Koblo- women’s campaigning organisation committed to Gulama of Kaiyamba Chiefdom, Moyamba creating gender balance in politics and decision- District, became the only female parliamentarian making processes. The end of a civil war and first minister of state in West Africa (Steady represents a political moment laden with 2006: 37). It was this government that led the opportunities for change and reform of existing country to independence on 27 April 1961. She political configuration; proportional continued being the lone female in national representation instead of the usual politics until 1967, when the Sierra Leone Peoples constituency/first-past-the-post system was used Party (SLPP) lost the country’s second post- in the electoral process. The proportional party independent election. list system and 50/50’s training, advocacy and IDS Bulletin Volume 41 Number 5 September 2010 63 lobbying political parties to put women higher on there is only one woman in the cabinet as at May their party lists by demanding the use of the 2010. However, the three female deputy ministers zipper system, i.e. alternating women and men still hold on to their various portfolios. on party lists, all contributed to the high performance in the elections. Women’s re-engagement in the elective process at the local level, started with restoration of local The number of female contestants in the 2002 governance in 2004. During this electoral cycle presidential and parliamentary elections rose 2004–8, 54 of the 107 women who contested the from 65 in 1996 to 156, and elected election won, constituting 13.7 per cent of elected parliamentarians from 5 to 18 (two women councillors. At the Mayoral/Chairpersons and Paramount Chiefs) or 14.5 per cent of members Deputy levels, women accounted for 5.3 per cent of parliament. Unfortunately, this increase was and 10.5 per cent of elected officials in the 19 not reflected in ministerial appointments, as District/Town Councils, respectively. Three women accounted for only three cabinet female councillors won the Parliamentary ministerial positions out of 21 and three deputy elections in 2007. The number of female positions out of 10. At the parliamentary level, contestants for councillorship increased by over the deputy speaker was a woman and six of the 100 per cent from its 2004 figure of 107 to 2215 in 23 Chairpersons of the Parliamentary the 2008 election; candidates for the position of Committees were women (Agriculture, Food Mayor increased from one to four. A total of 86 Security, Health and Sanitation, Education, women representing 17 per cent of councillors Science and Technology, Public Accounts, won the 2008 election.

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