| President Rajoelina also asks women to check their registration on the electoral list and to vote. |
The President of the Republic encourages women to stand as candidates in the next elections, particularly the legislative ones. Addressing political entities, he asks them to favor women as standard bearers.
Make way for women. Among the speakers at the ceremony marking International Women’s Day yesterday in Toamasina, Andry Rajoelina, President of the Republic, addressed the subject of political terrain. He called on women to become more involved in politics, in particular to seek elected office.
In his speech, the tenant of Iavoloha thus encouraged the fairer sex to stand as candidates for the next elections, in particular the legislative elections for which the calendar has already been decided. An appeal that he also extends to political entities, urging them to favor women in the selection of their candidates.
“The legislative elections will take place soon. I encourage women to run for office. Likewise, I ask you, political parties, to favor as much as possible the presentation of women as candidates,” declared the President of the Republic. He even encourages voting for women who will run in the next elections, whose deputy is the only position officially in contention so far.
Among the speakers of the day, Issa Sanogo, resident coordinator of the United Nations System (UNS), sent his “congratulations” to the government and the presidential couple “for all the efforts deployed in favor of gender equality, respect and protection of the rights of women and girls. However, he emphasizes that there remain “many opportunities to be seized”.
The UN diplomat indicates that there are still “efforts to be made to progress towards achieving gender equality”. It mentions, among other things, “the effective and equal participation of women in political, social and economic activities, in order to strengthen their empowerment”, adding that this also concerns “the representation of women in decision-making bodies”.
Funding
The call launched by President Rajoelina visibly meets this objective of increasing the participation of women in political life. Regarding the representation of women in decision-making bodies, the president of Iavoloha emphasizes that he already sets an example within the presidential institution.
“Personally, when it comes to appointing someone to a senior position, I favor women when they have the skills and experience necessary for the position. This is the case within the Presidency of the Republic, where 90% of directors are women,” declares Andry Rajoelina. “I am convinced that promoting women’s rights and supporting their empowerment will contribute to the proper functioning of society and the development of the country,” he adds.
An opinion also shared by Issa Sanogo. “You will agree with me that no sustainable and balanced development is possible unless the rights, health and well-being of women, especially the most vulnerable, are placed at the heart of our priorities. It is therefore important that we seize the opportunities that present themselves together,” declares the SNU resident coordinator.
One of the obstacles to achieving gender equality by 2030, at the global level, according to diplomat Sanogo, is “the alarming lack of financing for expenditures dedicated to measures in favor of gender equality” . Andry Rajoelina concedes that there is still a way to go in the quest for gender equality. “With regard to Madagascar in particular, I dare to say that important steps have been taken and will continue to be taken,” he maintains, however.
The President of the Republic announces that support for the empowerment of women, particularly the most vulnerable, will be included among the priorities of the State budget. “I am aware of the challenges faced by the majority of women. We will provide solutions together. Together we will overcome the obstacles that prevent women from thriving,” he says.
