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Candidate Selection

Candidates presenting themselves for election are selected from within a party, generally by internal election, nomination or appointment. Most political parties regulate this process, and some stipulate that a certain percentage of candidates for national or local elections must be women. However, candidate selection and women’s participation begins at an earlier stage, as the recruitment and induction of party members can affect future levels of individual participation, influence and leadership. Here you find information on candidate selection mechanisms and how they affect women.

From the Library

Empowering Women for Stronger Political Parties

How women participate in political parties – and how those parties encourage and nurture women’s involvement and incorporate gender-equality issues – are key determinants of women’s political empowerment. They are also key to ensuring gender-equality issues are addressed in the wider society. If strategies to promote women’s involvement in the political process are to be effective, they should be linked to steps parties can take across the specific phases of the electoral cycle – the preelectoral, electoral and post-electoral phases – and to the organization and financing of the parties themselves. 
 
The most effective strategies to increase women’s participation in political parties combine reforms to political institutions with targeted support to women party activists within and outside party structures, women candidates and elected officials. These strategies require the cooperation of a variety of actors and political parties from across the political spectrum.
 
The Guide identifies targeted interventions that political parties can take to empower women. It is structured according to four phases, following an electoral cycle approach.

Women’s Representation in Local Government in Asia-Pacific: Going beyond National Targets in Monitoring Status for MDG 3 on Women’s Political Empowerment

More Asia Pacific countries than ever before have elected local governments and national parliaments. Despite the progress made in establishing democratic institutions in the Asia Pacifi c, women continue to participate unequally both as voters and as candidates. Equality of opportunity in politics is a human right. Despite international eff orts to strengthen the conduct of free and fair
elections throughout the world, insuffi cient attention and resources have been devoted to addressing the gap between male and female political participation.

By not measuring the percentage of women represented in sub-national governments with any MDG target, national strategies risk ignoring one of the most important arenas for women’s political participation. As part of the Millennium Project, the Task Force on Education and Gender Equality has identifi ed increasing women’s share of seats in national and local government bodies, as
one of the seven strategic priorities needed to achieve MDG 3 on gender equality2. To this end, the Task Force proposed the inclusion of an indicator (additional to the numbers of women in national parliament) on the percentage of seats held by women in local government bodies.

The local governments, through their national associations and global umbrella body, have expressed their commitment to the development, promotion and support of gender equality. The International Union of Local Authorities (IULA) sets out its Worldwide Declaration on Women in Local Government.

It is on this basis that the fi rst ever status report on Women’s Representation in Local Government in the Asia Pacific has been developed. This will contribute to the monitoring of the achievement of MDG 3 with the objective of deepening the understanding of the progress made towards goals set within the Millennium Declaration at all levels of government and all other commitments on gender equality, including international human rights obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) CEDAW and BPfA.

Gender, Citizenship and Governance

The information portal on Gender, citizenship and governance is an interdepartmental initiative. It is developed and managed by KIT Information and Library Services with support from KIT Development, Policy & Practice, area Social Development and Gender Equity. The target audience is formed by the global community of professionals (researchers, practitioners) involved in gender, citizenship and governance.

The information portal on Gender, citizenship and governance provides a unique entry point to free, full-text electronic publications, e-journals, e-newsletters, e-discussion groups and forums, websites, bibliographic databases, and directories of organizations and projects.

The portal brings together theoretical and practical perspectives on the interrelationships between gender, citizenship and governance. The information resources offered deal with the theory and practice of gender justice and citizenship, the responsiveness and accountability of governmental institutions to citizens, women in particular, and women’s capacity / ability to claim their rights. Themes addressed include political participation & representation, including quota's, decentralization & local government, women's rights, gender institutional mainstreaming, and gender-responsive budgeting.

Consolidated Responses on Independent Women Candidates in Local Elections in Mali

This consolidated response highlights recommendations on how to empower independent women candidates to succeed in elections. These recommendations include providing training sessions, working with civil society organizations, forming women’s caucuses and coalitions, holding public outreach campaigns, and lobbying political parties.

Consolidated Response on Working with Women Candidates and Women Voters During Elections

This consolidated response highlights tools used to empower women candidates, such as providing training, working with political parties, using affirmative action measures,and holding outreach campaigns. The consolidate response also provides several recommendations on how to reach out to women voters before and during elections, proactively engage women in voter registration, and hold voter education campaigns targeting both women and men.

Consolidated response on how to promote a gender equality policy within a political party

This consolidated response analyses what a gender equality policy means and the key steps as well as concrete measures for developing a political party gender equality policy.

National Machinery, Action Plans and Gender Mainstreaming in the Council of Europe Member States

This report evaluates the progress made by Council of Europe member states since the Beijing conference. It provides updated information on national machinery, action plans and gender mainstreaming strategies set up to promote equality between women and men.

Beijing Parliamentary Declaration

This declaration was adopted by participants to Parliamentarians' Day, which was held by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on the occasion of the Fourth World Conference on Women. It affirms the commitment of parliamentarians to follow up the IPU's Plan of Action and the Beijing Platform of Action in the most appropriate and effective way.

Electoral Processes in Selected Countries of the Middle East: A Case Study

The paper includes three brief case studies of the electoral processes in Yemen, Lebanon and Jordan. It attempts to assess how the electoral process in each of these countries was supportive, or not, of women’s participation. It also identifies the similarities and differences among them to help draw conclusions and make recommendations on how to better support women’s participation in elections in the Arab region, as well as in other post-conflict countries.