A House Bill sponsored by Hon. Edward Gyang Pwajok, the long title and explanatory memorandum is brought you by the EOTM team. To access the body of the Bill, request a copy by sending us a mail or by indicating in the comment section.
LONG TITLE
A BILL FOR AN ACT TO AMEND THE ELECTORAL ACT 2010. TO ENSURE THAT ALL POLITICAL PARTIES ARE GENDER SENSITIVE AND TO ELIMINATE ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION IN ALL POLITICAL PARTIES
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
This Bill seeks to amend the Electoral Act 2010 to ensure that all political parties in the Country are gender sensitive and also eliminate all sorts of discrimination in political parties.
This Bill is proposing the addition of 3 new Sections to the Principal Electoral Act 2010, and only Section 85(1&2) Sub-section (a) mentioned anything about gender.
Sub-section (a) says "It shall be mandatory for all political parties to ensure that their women leaders are women or persons of the feminine gender".
To be honest i think Hon. Pwajok should have worked with gender based organizations or experts before drafting this Bill. It's a good initiative but yet begging for amendments, by amendments i mean by inserting new Sections and Sub-sections that better reflects and solves the gender realities on ground.
Sub-section (b) reads "all youth leaders shall be persons between ages of Eighteen to Forty Five at the date of election into such offices"
This provision obviously contradicts the National Youth Policy 2009 definition of a Youth, where a Youth is defined as "young males and females aged of Eighteen (18) to Thirty five (35) years". I'm pretty sure the engagement of a vibrant youth based organization would have restricted provisions of Sub-section (b) to the confines of the National Youth Policy definition of a Youth.
There is need for Legislators, CSOs, NGOs, INGOs and different organized group to synergies, particularly when it comes to Bill drafting and the entire Bill process.
Do you support this Bill?
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