By Agatha Kadzinje

Blantyre, October 10, Mana: Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) has emphasized on the need for all religious groups to spread messages that encourage women to contest in the upcoming elections.

In an interview with the Malawi News Agency (Mana), Thursday, National Coordinator for CCJP, Boniface Chibwana, said development cannot be achieved if a larger section of the population is not well represented

“The population of women in Malawi is slightly higher than men, with women making up to 52%. For this reason, it is imperative that the churches encourage women they congregate with to actively participate in decision making processes, including politics at local, constituency and presidential level,” he said.

Chibwana said religious groups should engage with traditional leaders and political parties to understand the importance of equal participation of men and women in leadership positions.

“Condemnation of women that have the passion to contest in leadership by religious leaders should be discouraged as this may lead to women dropping out and even violence against them from other quarters. Therefore, churches should start initiating conversations that appreciate women who have shown interest to contest in the 2025 elections,” Chibwana said.

He disclosed that CCJP has a project called ‘Women Participation in Politics’ which identifies and provides solutions to challenges that women face such as social-cultural barriers and stereotypes, when they want to contest in leadership positions.

In a separate interview with Mana, political analyst Victor Chipofya, emphasized that religion will continue to downplay the role of women in leadership positions unless churches shift from preaching about women’s submission.

“Religions that emphasize women’s submission tend to discourage women who want to pursue leadership positions because they fear being seen as rebellious. Religions should initiate topics that empower women,” he said.

Chipofya pointed out that the negative effect of religion on women participation in politics cannot be easily changed, but it is possible to change this perception with time.

“What would accelerate this change is women standing up themselves to take up positions of leadership and proving that they can excel,” he said.

He added that women should not expect power or positions to be handed to them rather they must fight and step up to get that power, only then change will be seen in upcoming elections.

Religion remains one of the key issues that play a role in shaping political participation and development in Malawi.