The Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Bossman Asare, has expressed worry over the low number of female candidates in the upcoming December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
Dr. Bossman Asare stated that the low representation of women in Ghana’s political space highlights the high level of gender imbalance.
The EC Deputy Chairperson made this assertion while addressing key religious leaders and political party representatives at a forum held in Winneba, in the Effutu Municipality of the Central Region.
Dr. Asare maintained that it is important to have an encouraging representation of women in every electoral participation, noting that only 120 women are contesting parliamentary seats out of more than 800 candidates nationwide.
The forum, held under the theme “Enhancing the Electoral Process and Fostering Peaceful Co-existence,” was meant to discuss pressing issues surrounding the upcoming December 7 elections and promote a collaborative approach to ensuring a fair and peaceful electoral process.
Dr. Asare indicated that, despite the efforts the EC had made by reducing the filing fees for female candidates and persons with special abilities in order to encourage more participation in the electoral process, however, the expectant numbers turned out to be low with only 120 women contesting in the elections.
Despite this financial incentive, Dr. Asare noted that the number of female candidates remains discouragingly low, a trend that he described as “unfortunate.” He pointed out that women’s representation in politics is essential for fostering balanced decision-making and ensuring that the needs and perspectives of all demographics are addressed in national policies.
Dr. Bossman Asare added, “In this year’s nomination, the filing fee for female candidates and persons with disabilities was reduced by 25 percent. So for the presidential election, male candidates paid GH¢100,000 and the female candidates and persons with disabilities also paid GH¢75,000.
“And for the Parliamentary elections, male candidates paid GH¢10,000 and the female candidates and persons with disabilities paid GH¢7,500 and the idea was to encourage more women to take part in the process but unfortunately the numbers that came were not very encouraging.”
Source: Kobina Darlington/peacefmonline.com
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