Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF) is calling on all political parties contesting the two by-elections in the Buem and Akatsi South Constituencies in the Volta Region to prioritize women as candidates for the elections.
It says the choice of women will help increase the current number of women MPs in the sixth Parliament and help Ghana push towards partially fulfilling the 2015 deadline of Goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals.
Speaking to Citi News, national coordinator for WILDAF Ghana Bernice Sam says it will also add up to Ghana’s democratic credentials of improving gender equality and especially women’s representation in political decision making processes.
“From the elections where we have 30 women going into parliament, we can only ask for more women to go into parliament so if there are vacant seats to be filled and there are going to be by-elections happening pretty soon, then we are calling on the political parties that are going to put forward contestants to put forward women,” she stated.
Madam Sam further disclosed: “It will be a demonstration of the political parties that they acknowledge the value of women and are listening to what women are saying and that it isn’t parliament leaning towards the men more than the women and will want to add to the numbers”.
“It is an appeal we are making to the political parties to put forward women in these two constituencies. They need to appeal to the electorates, particularly women to demonstrate that they want to put more women forward,” she added.