The dialogues were designed to discuss strategies to increase women’s political representation, which is low in all three branches of Government, and particularly low in Liberia’s Legislature. From 2005 to 2015, not a single political party met the 30% threshold, (“National Elections Commission. https://www.undp.org/content/dam/liberia/docs/FINAL_RESEARCH%20ON%20WOMEN%E2%80%99S%20PARTICIPATION%20AS%20CANDIDATES%20IN%20ELECTIONS.pdf”) and in 2017 only one party (Liberia Restoration Party) met the 30%. The largest, most visible parties/coalitions on the national stage did not come close – with Unity Party at 17%, CDC at 11.5%, and Liberty Party at 10% (“National Elections Commission”). There was also discussion around the transactional nature of voting in Liberia, linking women’s political empowerment to women’s economic empowerment given the high expense of running campaign in the country.

Source: Front Page Africa September 24, 2020 17:15 UTC