Africa: Women from P♂lls to P♀lls

ZAMBIA: Scarcely Room for Women in Male-dominated Politics

By IPS Correspondents
Charity Mwansa, a former minister and member of parliament, knows just exactly what being one of the very few female politicians in Zambia means. When she left politics it had nothing to with not being able to do the work and instead had everything to do with the mad world of male-dominated politics.

COTE D’IVOIRE: Independent Candidate Pledges Reconciliation

By Fulgence Zamblé
Presidential elections in Côte d'Ivoire, scheduled for Nov. 29, were postponed until February or March 2010. Among the candidates who will try to take advantage of some additional time to campaign will be the sole independent candidate, Jacqueline Oble.
Experts believe women need to show what value they can add to the lives of the south Sudan people as they work towards rebuilding the country. Credit: Tim McKulka/UNMIS/IRIN

SOUTH SUDAN: A More Gender Representative Leadership

By Miriam Gathigah
As the general elections scheduled for April 2010 draw nearer in Africa’s largest country ravaged by a long drawn war, the scramble for political positions is rife as women struggle to make their presence felt.
Paramount Chief Mwata Kazembe of the Lunda people being presented to the people. Credit: Lewis Mwanangombe/IPS

ZAMBIA: Let our Chiefs Govern

By Lewis Mwanangombe
The Litunga of Barotseland, King of the Lozi, has no judicial or legislative authority. No supervisory control over government projects, and worst of all he cannot stand for elected office. Yet successive Zambian presidents have deferred to him.

UGANDA: Political Parties Fail to Declare Funding

By Joshua Kyalimpa
The Electoral Commission of Uganda says if they tightened the noose around parties which fail to declare election funding, all of them would probably be deregistered.
The ECZ has failed to drag offenders of election violence to court. Credit: Lewis Mwanangombe/IPS

ZAMBIA: Violence Threatens Polls

By Lewis Mwanangombe
Prisca Musonda is an ardent supporter of Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata and his party. She has travelled with him to most parliamentary constituencies campaigning in elections.
Displaced southern Sudanese women and children of Jikany Nuer in a village outside Nasir town in Upper Nile state. Credit: Peter Martell/IRIN

SOUTH SUDAN: Making of a Nation still Holding on to the Past

By Miriam Gathigah
The five children of Mary Muwombi have grown up in the war of south Sudan. It was a harsh existence - living on the brink of death and eating whatever they could find just to survive.
Elizabeth Kumba Simbiwa Sorgboh Torto has declared herself available for the position of paramount chief in the Nimiyama chiefdom. Credit: Mohamed Fofanah/IPS

SIERRA LEONE: Woman Breaking Traditional Walls in Chieftaincy Elections

By Mohamed Fofanah
A war is raging in the eastern part of the country, once the centre stage for battles during the 10-year civil war and the place where "blood diamonds" were once mined. But this time the war is not for diamonds, but about whether a woman has the right to stand for paramount chief in the local chieftaincy election.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Seeking a Democratic South Sudan

By Miriam Gathigah
The atmosphere is heavily charged with political tensions, alliances are already in the offing, expectations are high and the pressure for the country to achieve a successful transition from an interim government to a democratically elected one is immense.

ETHIOPIA: New Election Code Sparks Furore

By Omer Redi
Opposition parties are troubled by what they say is government’s strategy to keep them out of the general elections in May 2010.
SWAPO supporter Martha Hamukoto and her friends traveled 900 kilometres to get new voter's cards. Credit: Servaas van den Bosch/IPS

POLITICS-NAMIBIA: SWAPO Wins

By Servaas van den Bosch
The ruling South West Africa People's Organisation party (SWAPO) has won legislative elections in Namibia, with voters also giving incumbent President Hifikepunye Pohamba a second five-year term in office.
Maria Martin (20) holding up her thumb with the purple mark to show she voted. Credit: Servaas van den Bosch/IPS

POLITICS-NAMIBIA: Born Frees Make their Mark

By Servaas van den Bosch
"It was like writing my first exam. I was nervous and didn’t want to make a mistake. I must have checked the ballot 10 times."
Some voters took up to eight hours to cast their ballots at the women's centre in Okuruyangava, one of Windhoek

NAMIBIA: Waiting at the Polls

By Servaas van den Bosch
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has again suspended the observer status of a human rights watchdog it accuses of lying about mistakes on the voter’s roll.
SWAPO supporter Martha Hamukoto and her friends show their new voter's cards. Credit: Servaas Van den Bosch/IPS

POLITICS-NAMIBIA: SWAPO’s Dominance Challenged

By Servaas van den Bosch
"Man RDP!" sighs Martha Hamukoto, sitting on the steps of a Windhoek office block. She is lamenting the breakaway faction, the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP).
Elections are still male-dominated in Namibia. Credit: Servaas van den Bosch/IPS

POLITICS-NAMIBIA: ‘Parties Totally Don’t Care About Women’s Rights’

By Servaas van den Bosch
Gender activists foresee a drop in female parliamentarians after Namibia’s general and presidential elections on November 27 and 28. It’s a trend that jeopardises the region’s goal of 50 percent female representation in politics by 2015.

POLITICS-BOTSWANA: I Lost the Election, But I Am a Winner

By IPS Correspondents
When Kgomotso Mogami threw her name into the hat to contest the Gaborone Central parliamentary seat it was easy for many people to write her off.

SOUTH SUDAN: Media Give Us a Fair Deal – Women

By Miriam Gathigah
The guns have gone silent – except for sporadic conflict in parts of the vast South Sudan region, such as the Eastern Equatoria State. It may not be the absolute end of the conflict in the region, but it is a reason for renewed hope.

POLITICS: Malawians Demand Local Councils

By IPS Correspondents
In Malawi, local government elections are as rare and endangered as the country’s black rhinoceros.
Venesa Karises (18) will be voting for the first time in Nambia's elections. Credit: Servaas van den Bosch/IPS

POLITICS-NAMIBIA: The Struggle Does So Not Continue

By Servaas van den Bosch
They are called the "born frees", the children of Namibia’s Independence, and they will vote for the first time this month. Struggle credentials mean zip to them, and they have a serious beef with politicians.
Senator Thuli Msane spoke out against arresting sex workers. Credit: Mantoe Phakathi/IPS

SWAZILAND: Help Sex Workers – Senator

By Mantoe Phakathi
It is one of the world's oldest professions, dating so far back that it is even mentioned in the Bible. But in the deeply cultural and religious country of Swaziland, Senator Thuli Msane stirred a hornet's nest when she publicly challenged a new strict bill opposing prostitution.

POLITICS-MOZAMBIQUE: Victory for Frelimo Amid Claims of Election Fraud

By Zenaida Machado
The incumbent, President Armando Guebuza, has won the Mozambican 2009 elections in a landslide, obtaining three quarters of the votes, according to official results.
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