Women’s role key to credible polls: UNAMA

KABUL’s participation in the upcoming presidential and provincial council polls was essential to ensuring an inclusive and credible electoral process.

“The role of women cannot be overstated – elections can only be truly representative and credible when women fully participate and are included in all parts of the electoral process,” UNAMA acting head Nicholas Haysom said after meeting with civil society representatives in Kabul.

Also UN secretary-general’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, Haysom said it was encouraging that 35 percent of newly-registered voters in were women.

He said more than 300 Afghan women were standing as candidates for the provincial council polls and three women for the vice-presidency.

“The presence of female polling staff will be necessary to ensure women’s participation in the elections together with female observers to monitor female polling stations.”
The UN official met with representatives from civil society groups involved in women’s empowerment and defending women’s rights.
Haysom highlighted the great personal risk women’s rights activists routinely face in promoting women’s inclusion as candidates, voters, election staff and observers.
pr/ma

Visits: 0