Source: Malawi News Agency
Ntchisi — Female aspirants in the May 21 Tripartite Elections in Ntchisi District have complained of being sidelined by party officials in their campaign ahead of the elections.
The female aspirants said during a meeting organized by Women Legal Resource Centre (WORLEC) on Tuesday that most party officials, even traditional leaders, have their own preferred candidates who are mostly male because they have more financial resources than the women.
One of the female aspirants, Lydia Chilinga, who is contesting as councilor for Chimbwadzi Ward said a lot of women feel discouraged to contest in elections because of the said tendency by the leaders.
"The party supporters expect us to be giving them handouts in exchange of the support they render to us during campaign which most us, female aspirants cannot afford," she said.
Another female aspirant, Olipa Phiri said it was difficult for her and other aspirants to be conducting their campaign due to inadequate materials.
WOLREC Project Officer, Patience Molosoni said the meeting was part of the 'Young Women Active in Politics (YWAP)' project which her organization was implementing in the district with funding from the European Union (EU).
She appealed to all stakeholders as well as spouses to the women to ensure that they provide all the necessary support to the female aspirants.
"The aim of these meetings is to increase support for female aspirants as well as influence key players to create an enabling environment for young women to take part in politics," she said.
The project is being implemented in Ntchisi South and North constituencies.