Women politicians and civil society leaders in North Kivu recently expressed their desire to obtain MONUSCO’s support for the 2023 electoral process. This request was made during a political café organized in Goma, following the low representation of women on the lists of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) for the elections to the national deputy.
The participants underlined their wish to strengthen their capacities and obtain support from MONUSCO in order to become more competitive in the electoral field. Ester Vira of the NGO AIDPROFEN said MONUSCO should play a capacity building role to help women improve their level and compete with men.
Women politicians expressed their deep regret at often being relegated to the background within their own political parties. According to Neuilly Lumbulumbu of the NGO Sauti ya Mama Mkongomani, this partly explains the low participation rate of women in the electoral process in the South Kivu region. Many political parties do not run women on their lists, and those that do often do so only to meet legal requirements for female candidates.
MONUSCO’s Political Affairs Section organized this political café with the aim of listening to women and contributing to adequate preparation for the nomination phase for the 2023 elections. obstacles that women face in their political participation and to discuss the measures needed to encourage their full involvement in the democratic process.
It is essential to recognize the fundamental role of women in political and civil life, and to ensure that they are represented fairly and equally. This requires a real commitment from political parties, institutions and the international community to support and promote the active participation of women in political decision-making.
The request from women politicians and civil society leaders in North Kivu to benefit from the support of MONUSCO in the 2023 electoral process is a call for equality and justice. It is incumbent on all relevant actors to take concrete steps to ensure a balanced representation of women in the political sphere, as their voice and contribution are essential to building a more inclusive and democratic society