NGO-GCN for 50/50 campaign in light of the 2025 general elections

Blantyre, September 25, Mana: NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) says political parties should embrace the 50/50 initiative in their selection of leaders in elective positions ahead of the 2025 general elections.

NGO-GCN Chairperson, Maggie Kathewera Banda, said in an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Tuesday, that that are still few women in leadership positions in political parties, despite the numerous initiatives by the NGO-GCN and other campaigners on the need to provide equal opportunities to both men and women to compete in elective positions.

Banda added that female aspirants in Malawi face several problems that affect their aspirations to compete in party and inter-party positions.

“Lack of funding is a major challenge for women during the election period as political parties fail to provide financial support to women. In addition, women get discouraged as they face insults and name-calling from opponents on top of negative societal attitudes,

“It only takes women with thick skin to contest despite the setbacks. Unfortunately, there are only a few of them that can withstand this,” she added.

Banda said the NGO-GCN will continue to monitor the 50/50 campaign by reviewing the political party’s constitutions and comparing them to the actual practices in the candidate's selection criteria.

She added that the network engages women aspirants in each political party to understand their experiences both within and outside their parties to assess how they would fare in the campaign stating that the success of the 50/50 campaign depends on the political parties’ willingness to accommodate women and voter’s attitudes towards women leadership.

“NGO-GCN advocates for a law that would designate certain constituencies exclusively for female candidates from different political parties. However, right now, it is a matter of survival of the fittest,” Banda said.

Banda observed that most parties that have held conventions recently have elected fewer women than men in key positions, saying this was a contributing factor to the likely defeat of the 50/50 initiative.

Political analyst, Ernest Thindwa stated in another interview with Mana, that the 50/50 campaign could be successful in the 2025 general election if the electoral system was addressed.

“Our system in Malawi is candidate-centered and not based on proportional representation which means that parties do not have incentives to support female aspirants. This greatly affects women's aspiration as they are often financially incapable of contesting,” he added.

Thindwa also observed that political parties tend to fund candidates they believe have a higher chance of winning elections.

He therefore said that the 50/50 campaign for the 2025 general election would be successful if political parties provided incentives to women aspirants to pursue their political ambitions.

Thindwa added that the 50/50 campaign was not just about increasing the number of women in elective positions but about the benefits and changes they will bring to the country.