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Meaningful inclusion demands constant investment, but female local officials have barely got it

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Meaningful inclusion demands constant investment, but female local officials have barely got it

Source: International IDEA

The 22 years old Saraswati Nepali is the mom of two kids and lives approximately five hours' drive (and five hours walk) away from the headquarter of Karnali Province, Surkhet—a place that paid the heaviest of prices in the 10 year-long armed conflict from 1996-2006. Her first son is eight years old, and her second son is four and half years old, almost as old as her term of office as a ward member in Shiwalaya Rural Municipality (RM) of Karnali Province.

Saraswati did not go for campaigning before the elections. She didn’t even ask for an election ticket. All the work was done by her family members, especially her husband, who is a teacher. Saraswati assumes, it is because of his influence she got the ticket to fight the election. After four and half years she now understands fully that it was rather because of the reservation for Dalit women in the Ward Committee of local governments (LGs) that she got the ticket. 

Click here to read the full article published by International IDEA on 3 March 2022.

Region
Partner
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)
Focus areas

The 22 years old Saraswati Nepali is the mom of two kids and lives approximately five hours' drive (and five hours walk) away from the headquarter of Karnali Province, Surkhet—a place that paid the heaviest of prices in the 10 year-long armed conflict from 1996-2006. Her first son is eight years old, and her second son is four and half years old, almost as old as her term of office as a ward member in Shiwalaya Rural Municipality (RM) of Karnali Province.

Saraswati did not go for campaigning before the elections. She didn’t even ask for an election ticket. All the work was done by her family members, especially her husband, who is a teacher. Saraswati assumes, it is because of his influence she got the ticket to fight the election. After four and half years she now understands fully that it was rather because of the reservation for Dalit women in the Ward Committee of local governments (LGs) that she got the ticket. 

Click here to read the full article published by International IDEA on 3 March 2022.

Region
Partner
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)
Focus areas