Women and Elections in Namibia after Five Years of Independence

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Periodical article

Title:	Women and Elections in Namibia after Five Years of Independence
Author:	Wanzala, Winnie L.
Year:	1995
Periodical:	SAFERE: Southern African Feminist Review (ISSN 1024-9451)
Volume:	1
Issue:	2
Period:	September-October
Pages:	49-59
Language:	English
Notes:	biblio. refs.
Geographic terms:	Namibia Southern Africa
Subjects:	elections 1992 1994 women politics Religion and Witchcraft political science
Abstract:	This article analyses the structural and social barriers to women's participation in the first regional and local elections in Namibia, which were held in December 1992, and in the second parliamentary and presidential elections, which took place in December 1994. The article begins with a description of the types of electoral systems applied in local, regional and national elections in Namibia. Secondly, Western assumptions about barriers to women's participation are tested in the Namibian case. The following additional factors are also examined for their impact on women's political performance in Namibia: eligibility requirements for political parties and candidates, gendered party structures; the strength or weakness of party structures, particularly at the local level; the impact of historical realities such as labour migration on women's political activism and candidacy; the role of women's political wings; and attitudes toward women's political parties. At the end, a number of suggestions are made for improving women's participation in future elections. Bibliogr., notes, ref.