Progress in women's participation in election

Rights activists in Pakistan have hailed increased participation by women in last week's local elections. "For the first time in the country's history, civil society groups, rights activists, media and other bodies have come up with a collective campaign for women electoral rights," Naeem Mirza, a project director with a leading women rights' body, the Aurat Foundation, said in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad on Monday. According to statistics from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), a total of 3,634 more women contested the local elections nationwide, compared with participation in local government polls in 2001. Overall voter turnout was about 45 percent. Details of how many women voted in the election will be available later this week. "This is a significant achievement and also a positive shift in social behaviour that more women are today coming forward to claim a leadership role," Mirza noted. The second phase of polling would be held on Thursday in the remaining 56 districts across the country, while the third phase to elect the district administrators in all four provinces would be held in late September. Despite the increase in female participation in the poll, women were still prevented from voting in more conservative parts of Pakistan. However, "In some areas women have been reportedly barred from voting and contesting polls in areas of the North West Frontier Province [NWFP]. But, generally, this time resistance to female participation in voting has not been so blatant as previously," said Mirza. The ECP had taken threats to stop women voting seriously, citing legal action against community or tribal leaders who tried to prevent female participation. The commission has also said it would demand a re-run of polls where proof of women being stopped from voting was available. A group of more than 100 women from Nowshera district of NWFP demonstrated on Monday in front of the ECP in the capital, Islamabad and demanding a re-election in their district. The women said prominent religious party leader, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, was responsible for preventing women from partaking in the poll in certain districts of Nowshera. Women rights' campaigners want the ECP to go further in encouraging female participation in Pakistan's elections. "The election commission could come up with more effective measures - like declaring the results in any constituency null and void where the female turnout is less than 10 percent of total female voter registration," said Mirza.