Cameroon: Place of Women in Politics - Time for Greater Promotion Action

The number of women in political positions in Cameroon is staggeringly increasing and more promotion efforts are required to add a new impetus.

There has been a steady increase in the number of women in political positions in Cameroon since the reintroduction of multiparty democracy in 1990. The increase has been the outcome of efforts put in place by government through the National Gender Policy whose implementation is piloted by the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family, provisions of international instruments and treaties Cameroon is signatory to and the advocacy carried out by civil society organisations. Government in the National Gender Policy that covers the period 2011 to 2020 has set out to enhance women's participation and representation in public life and decision making. Its general objective is to contribute to the systematic elimination of inequalities between women and men at all levels through advocacy towards members of parliament, members of government and senior officials since 2005. The results of the implementation of the National Gender Policy has been the steady though unsatisfactory representation of women in elective political positions. In the National Assembly for instance, the number of female Members increased from 25 in the eighth legislative period to the 56 in the current ninth legislative period with MPs voted in the 2013 legislative election. Indeed the percentage of female representation in the National Assembly is 31.1 per cent. In the 100-member Senate, there are 21 female pioneer Senators elected during the April 2013 election and the others appointed by the President of the Republic , Paul Biya. Out of the 360 mayors elected following the 2013 Council election, there are 31 women representing 6.7 per cent. The different elections expected in 2018, specifically the council, parliamentary and senatorial elections provide a rare opportunity for lobby and advocacy organisations to lure political parties nominate more female candidates. The elections also serve as an opportunity for political parties to take the gender component contained in the Electoral Code seriously as they strategies to nominate winning candidates for the various elections. It is time government steps in to ensure that quotas for the number of women in political positions propagated by some international organisations are respected and even improved upon. When electors would be called to the polls for the different elections, the country's elections governing body, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM ) will have to ensure the strict respect of the provisions of the Electoral Code in the nomination of candidates. The Minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family, Marie Therese Abena Ondoa during the 2018 annual conference of the staff of the central and external services of the Ministry in Yaounde last week talked much on the need for the number of women in political positions to be substantially increased.

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