Public want gender quotas extended to regional councils- Afrobarometer research
More than half of the public think that the increased number of women in the National Assembly has made Parliament more effective, according to the most recent Afrobarometer survey.
The Afrobarometer, which is pan-African, non-partisan research network that conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance and related issues in Africa showed that a majority (59%) of Namibians say that having more women in the National Assembly has made that body more effective.
The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) said, according to the Afrobarometer, more than two-thirds of locals support the use of gender quotas to ensure more equal participation of men and women in both National Assembly and regional council elections.
IPPR noted that in 2015, Namibia leapfrogged many countries to become a global leader in the representation of women in the National Assembly after the ruling SWAPO party implemented a 50/50 party list.
“However, regional councils and the National Council continue to be dominated by men. With the next set of elections taking place in 2019 and 2020, and given the government’s stated commitment to gender equality, gauging public support for quota systems, as well as perceptions of the impact on the National Assembly of the increased number of women, is timely,” IPPR stated.
Furthermore, the Afrobarometer said that more than two-thirds (70%) of locals, regardless of gender, say that all political parties should be mandated to adopt a gender quota to ensure 50/50 representation of men and women in the National Assembly.
Caption: The Afrobarometer team in Namibia, led by the Institute for Public Policy Research and Survey Warehouse, interviewed 1,200 adult Namibians in November 2017.A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3% at a 95% confidence level.
