Ghana: Women Trade Off Seats

From Ghana Newsagency:

Some female assembly members in the Northern Region have declared their intentions not to contest the upcoming district level elections, and are supposedly negotiating with men to take up their seats when their tenure of office ends.

The assembly women are said to have taken this decision because of the frustrations they face in the discharge of their duties, as well as the over politilisation of the assembly system and other socio-cultural factors, and the excessive demands made on them by people in their electoral areas.

Mr. Awal expressed the concern that if the trend of females declining to contest for the district level elections continues, then the Northern Region which is already disadvantaged would witness a drastic reduction of female participation in politics and in matters of gender that affect them.