Dec 7 election: Having only 1 woman as flagbearer is not normal – Audrey Gadzekpo

The Board Chairman of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, says the country needs a democracy that truly reflects the representation of people, particularly women.

Addressing Women Journalists in Accra, she pointed out that while women are in the majority with 50.1 percent of the population, according to records by the Ghana Statistical Service, they remain underrepresented in the democratic process.

“We are 50.1 percent of the population and increasingly we are educated, capable in all kinds of spaces and exposure, but had only two flagbearer women out of the 13. With the death of Akua Donkor we have just one woman as flagbearer, this is not normal,” Professor Gadzekpo stated.

She also highlighted the underrepresentation of Women in Parliament, with the current percentage of female MPs standing at just 14.3 percent.

“The situation is worse in Parliament that the female percentage of Members of Parliament could reduce from the current 14.3 percent. Roughly 801 Parliamentary Candidates are contesting. According to the Electoral Commissioner, only 118 are women, that represents 14.7 percent. It means we shall have less than the previous 14.3 percent, because not all of them will win their seats. We can’t even get 20 percent of Women in Parliament, when Rwanda has 50 percent Women in Parliament,” she bemoaned.

Professor Gadzekpo described the figures as depressing and charged women to step up for Inclusion in the democratic process.

“The statistics are disheartening, it may be a little too late, but we should keep our eyes on a longer goal in four years’ time when new elections would be held in 2028. We have help from the affirmative action bill. We must build our capacity to change the status quo,” she encouraged.

The Convenor for the Alliance for Women in Media Africa (AWMA) Mercy Adjabeng noted the crucial role journalists play in empowering the electorate to make informed decisions, especially during the December polls.

“There is so much about election reporting, you must fact-check because people rely on your work to make decisions. It is very critical that you are accurate and balanced.”

“As we strive for inclusive and representation, we recognize the significant role women journalists play to hold leaders accountable and promoting peaceful elections,“ Mercy Adjabeng pointed out.

The United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) representative Yakub Abdul Hamid
noted that their findings reveal increasing threats on social media against women.

“UNESCO we are really concerned about safety of women journalists, especially online threats, a National Conversation would be held in this regard. Our call today is that the state or government should ensure that laws and rights develop to protect women journalists offline are applied online. And also Political actors should desist from attacks against women journalists, “ he suggested.

About 36 Women Journalists across the country participated in the two-day workshop on Election Reporting Safety and Fact checking, courtesy AWMA and UNESCO.

Read also:

Thousands of elderly benefit from ‘Shop and Go’ initiative by New Juaben South MP

The post Dec 7 election: Having only 1 woman as flagbearer is not normal – Audrey Gadzekpo first appeared on 3News.

Read Full Story