Yet, according to Mandevere, the human rights lawyer, females have proven to be effective leaders through many decades of multiple crises in Zimbabwe. “If it’s about being a prostitute, we also have prostitutes in ZANU-PF,” he said to applause for the comments captured on video and later widely criticized by activists. “What is so special about Judy … How different is she from other girls?” thundered a ruling party campaigner during a recent rally in her constituency. But for her opponents, gender seems to trump the 35-year-old’s track record. Take Judith Tobaiwa, an opposition politician, and the first female MP for a politically volatile constituency in central Zimbabwe. Those women who do run for public office also endure derogatory stereotypes. The group is now running a campaign urging women voters to elect fellow women where they appear on the ballot. WALPE described the numbers as a “slap in the face,” accused the parties of “tokenism” and threatened to campaign against them “as the only way” to demonstrate women’s determination for a seat at the table. Parliamentary candidates must pay $1,000 to register, compared to $50 in the previous election - and that's before the huge amounts necessary to compete in a country where vote-buying is rampant. This represents 11% of candidates, down from 14% in 2018. In July, Valerio successfully challenged the decision in court.įor the National Assembly, there are 70 women candidates against 637 men in 210 constituencies. Elisabeth Valerio was one of two women, along with Linda Masarira, who were rejected because they had failed to pay the $20,000 registration fee on time, up from $1,000 in 2018. In the end, one woman did manage to qualify for the ballot, but only just. 21 this year, there were 11 male candidates - and no women. In the last election, in 2018, there were four female candidates for the presidency, a record. 23 election suggests that change could be beyond the horizon, despite vigorous local campaigns and global pressure for increased female participation in decision-making. Men have historically dominated the political, economic, religious and social spheres. In Zimbabwe, a patriarchal southern African nation of 15 million people, gender-based biases are still rampant. The IPU describes itself as a global organization of national parliaments established in 1889. According to a report released in March by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the number of women in national parliaments in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 10% in 1995 to about 27% in 2022. The shortage of women candidates puts Zimbabwe at odds with trends on the continent. The reality on the ground is that the role of women in politics is restricted to being fervent supporters and dependable voters,” said Marufu Mandevere, a human rights lawyer in the capital, Harare. “We have some of the best laws and policies on gender equality and women representation, but that’s just on paper. It appears worse this year because the number of women candidates has plummeted, despite women constituting the majority of the population and, traditionally, the biggest number of voters. Trump pleaded not guilty and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.HARARE, Zimbabwe - In a large hall at the headquarters of Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party, women responded with roaring cheers when President Emmerson Mnangagwa described them as the party’s “backbone” whose votes are vital to victory in elections scheduled for August.Īt a recent opposition rally, women with the face of their male party leader emblazoned on dresses and skirts sang, danced and promised to vote for change - never mind that the election again represents a status quo where women are largely limited to cheerleading. The charges in that case include making false statements, conspiracy to obstruct justice and willful retention of national defense information, related to the more than 100 classified documents that were recovered from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last year, according to the indictment. Smith secured an indictment before a federal grand jury in Florida last month, charging Trump with 37 counts in connection with his handling of classified documents and alleged efforts to obstruct that investigation. He has led a sprawling investigation in the almost eight months since. Attorney General Merrick Garland a ppointed Smith as special counsel in November to determine “whether any person or entity unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about January 6, 2021.” Smith was also assigned oversight of “the ongoing investigation involving classified documents and other presidential records” taken from Trump’s White House, “as well as the possible obstruction of that investigation.”
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