| Following General and Regional elections in Guyana, the Carter Center has deemed the country’s lack of mandatory quota for women in the National Assembly as a “cause for concern”.In its preliminary report issued on Thursday on Guyana’s recently concluded elections, the Center noted that parties are allowed to allocate their parliamentary seats as they wish. This freedom,Wholesale Jerseys From China, the Center said, does not mandate a “legal guarantee of female selection”.“The outcome of the last election resulted in the inclusion of 21 women, comprising 32 percent of seats, in the National Assembly. The current legal framework for elections therefore lacks a mechanism for ensuring equal representation of women,” the report said.Furthermore, the Carter Center noted that the Representation of the People Act mandates that one-third of the lists of candidates be female. However, the Center said, there is no requirement imposed on the parties to do the same for the National Assembly.“This is despite the constitutional requirement that the selection of Members of Parliament should take into account the percentage of women in the electorate, which is more than 50%,” the Center added.The Center went on to urge the adoption of quotas or other special measures to ensure that women are represented in the National Assembly by at least 30% or, more ideally, 50%.In contrast, the Center noted that women were actively involved in the 2015 elections in many capacities within GECOM and the political parties.“International and regional obligations protect women’s rights and ensure their democratic right to equal participation in public and political life,” the report said.It further noted that women participated in the elections in high numbers, particularly as voters, polling staff and party agents. According to the Carter Center,NFL Jerseys Cheap Authentic, women account for 71% of polling staff in the more than 200 stations observed by it. Furthermore, 79% of presiding officers in stations observed were women. Where party agents of both major political parties were present, about 82% were female in stations observed,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, the Center added.As Guyana prepares to convene the country’s 11th Parliament, nine women from the coalition government APNU+AFC have already been pegged as parliamentarians. These women are: Minister of Tourism Catherine Hughes, Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Minister of Social Cohesion Amna Ally, Minister within the Ministry of Communities Dawn Hasting, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Dr. Karen Cummings, Ministers within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Education, Annette Ferguson and Nicolette Henry (respectively), and Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection Simona Broomes.With 26 parliamentarians already chosen by the new government,NFL Jerseys Cheap, the figure for women currently represented stands at approximately 35%.This figure is expected to grow if the opposition,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), participates in the upcoming Parliament. |
