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WiPSU Update Issue 5
Women In Politics Support Unit (WIPSU)
June 08, 2011

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What are political quotas and how can they be implemented in Zimbabwe?

In order to archive our benchmark in terms of women's quantitative and qualitative participation in politics there is a need to ensure that a quota is entrenched in the constitution through the COPAC processes that are currently ongoing. There are 3 types of gender quotas used in politics. These are;

• Reserved seats (constitutional and/ or legislative)
• Legal candidate quotas (constitutional and or legislative
• Political party quotas (voluntary)

Reserved seats regulate the actual number of women elected and legal candidate and political party quota set a minimum share of women on the candidate lists, either set by law or enshrined in the constitutions, manifestos and policies of political parties. In the 2nd instance it would therefore also be important that it be stated the order in which women appear on the lists or in our case, to push for the zebra listing, in order to ensure that women are not put at the bottom of the lists. This will be achieved by following in the footsteps of Argentina and Belgium who instituted legal requirements for double quotas. Double quotas is a quota system that not only requires a certain percentage of women on the candidate list but also prevents that the women candidates be just placed at the bottom of the list. This would work best in a situation where the electoral system is one which utilizes the proportional representative system. However in our case as Zimbabwe should the electoral system remain the same, this would translate into ensuring that certain constituencies are reserved for women candidates only, and more specifically 50% of the constituencies.

Once quota systems are in place the burden of ensuring that women are represented then lies with those who control the recruitment process, ie the political parties. The parties would therefore need to ensure that women are represented in all areas and at all levels of political party structures. Where minimum quotas are set at between 20-40% this set the maximum number of men at between 80-60% however the 50/50 quota is gender neutral.

Where political parties institute voluntary quota systems like in the ANC in South Africa although they are the only political party to do so, this can increase the numbers of women represented in political office.

Therefore Zimbabwe needs to institute quotas at different levels that need to be binding on selection of candidates as well as the nomination of candidates by political parties. These are;

• A quota system in the constitution as done in Bukina Faso, Nepal and Uganda or a quota system in the electoral law as done in Bosnia, Belgium or France. This is binding on primaries, candidate quotas and reserved seats
• Voluntary quotas by the political parties, as currently done by Zanu PF and ANC
• Reserved seats( these are can be appointed or as in Rwanda and Uganda are elected) Issue 5 Page 3, The quota system has its pros and cons.

Cons

The disadvantages of political quota systems are as follows;

• Quotas are against the principle of equal opportunity for all, since women are given preference over men.
• Quotas are undemocratic, because voters should be able to decide who is elected.
• Quotas imply that politicians are elected because of their gender, not because of their qualifications and that
  more qualified candidates are pushed aside.
• Many women do not want to get elected just because they are women.
• Introducing quotas creates significant conflicts within the political party organization. Quotas violate the principles of liberal democracy.

Pros

The advantages of quota systems are as follows;

• Quotas for women do not discriminate, but compensate for actual barriers that prevent women from their fair share of the political seats.
• Quotas imply that there are several women together in a committee or assembly, thus minimizing the stress often experienced by the token women.
• Women have the right as citizens to equal representation.
• Women's experiences are needed in political life.
• Election is about representation, not educational qualifications.
• Women are just as qualified as men, but women's qualifications are downgraded and minimized in a male dominated political system.
• It is in fact the political parties that control the nominations, not primarily the voters who decide who gets elected; therefore quotas are not violations of voters' rights.
• Introducing quotas may cause conflicts, but may be only temporarily.

Quotas can contribute to a process of democratization by making the nomination process more transparent and formalized.

Many countries have adopted quota systems in a bid to ensure that women are equally represented in politics. Zimbabwean women are not clamoring for anything new and unprecedented. The Zimbabwean women are asking for the compliance of its government to protocols that it has signed and ratified and to back up promises that have been made to women over the years by concretizing the promises in our electoral laws and in the country's constitution. Once we have achieved this we as an organization, working in partnership with our friends in the women's movement and in the donor community will ensure that the 50% women who are given positions of political leadership are women of quality and who represent the needs of the women of Zimbabwe.

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