DUSHANBE, November 2, Asia-Plus – A roundtable meeting formally entitled “Participation of Women in the Voting Process” was held in Dushanbe today.
Participants at the meeting, staged by Tajikistan’s Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) in cooperation with IFES Tajikistan, included representatives from political parties, women’s NGOs and media.
Ms. Kathryn Muller, the head of the IFES CO in Tajikistan, noted that the main objective of the meeting was to define measures to stimulate active participation of Tajik women in political life of the country, including participation in parliamentary and presidential elections in Tajikistan. Such events help active women from political parties, NGOs, media, universities get ready for the next parliamentary (2010) and presidential elections (2013) in the country, and probably standing for president.
Muhibullo Dodojonov, a spokesman for the CCER, telling the meeting noted that 17 of 68 constituencies for a November 6 presidential election are headed by women. Dodojonov stressed that the electoral commissions should carry out work in a fashion that all voters in the constituencies participate in the upcoming presidential election.
Jan Smith, an adviser to the IFES Tajikistan director, noted that in Muslim-dominated states a quota for women in parliament is very low. For example, in Afghanistan, this quota makes only 5 percent, and globally, women constitute only 8 percent of those contending for presidency. The best situation in this term is reported in Scandinavian countries, Germany and the Netherlands where women constitute from 35% to 45% of MPs. While in Tajikistan, this figure is nearly 13 percent.
Smith also stressed that globally, only some 30 percent of women are leading an active political life. In Tajikistan, compared to the previous years representation of women in organs of power of all levels has increased; however, it is still extremely low.
Some experts hold that cultural factors such as a tradition of domination of men in state structures, patriarchal values of electorate, insufficient organizing factors of political struggle are the main reasons impeding women’s entry into politics.
Participants at the meeting also expressed regret that no political party in Tajikistan had nominated woman as candidate for president.
