NGO-GCN for equal representation of men and women in political

NGO Gender Coordination Network is about to commence meetings with various political parties on equal representation of men and women at parliamentary and local government level ahead of the September 2025 general elections.

The organisation’s chairperson Maggie Kathewera Banda said the meetings aim to understand measures put in place by political parties in making sure that women are getting the chances and support when going for these seats.

“We will make sure these discussions are done before conventions of all political parties in the country. We are also in process of partnering with various organisations that also advocate for the 50:50 representation of men and women in local government and National Assembly seats to see how best we can move forward on this matter,” said Kathewera Banda.

She stressed on plans to train the female candidates interested to go for the said seats with a number of skills so as to boost their confidence.

She added: “We will also reach out to the public to understand capabilities of women and the importance of striking gender balance in political positions.”

This comes few weeks after some gender rights activists suggested a deliberate move to have fixed seats for women to increase their representation.

However, the suggestion did not impress other political experts as it was deemed as a setback towards democracy.