Political parties internal rules from a gender perspective: Comparatives Experiences

Transcription

1 Political parties internal rules from a gender perspective: Comparatives Experiences REPORT TUNIS, 31 OCTOBER

2 This activity report is produced by International IDEA-Tunisia project Respect for Women s Political Rights: Fostering Political Environments for Equal Participation and Leadership of Women in Political Parties. The project is designed by Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, funded by Human Rights Fund of the Netherlands and implemented in Tunisia by International IDEA. The project includes three selected countries: Kenya, Colombia and Tunisia. In each of these countries, inequalities exist between men and women in terms of their access to political rights and decision-making positions. All three countries demonstrate a strong prevalence of cultural norms, embedded in the legal and political context that denies women the opportunity to share in the exercise of power, with all the limitations on the development of democracy and wellbeing implicit in that exclusion. The project in Tunisia assist several relevant stakeholders in reviewing the legal framework from a gender perspective and identifying gaps and opportunities to further strengthen women s political participation by looking at the legal framework and the work of the political parties, as well as the broader electoral environment. This report documents the activity organized on 31 october 2015 in Tunis, where more than 40 political leader participated on internal rules of parties from a gender perspective. The report incorporates the results, recommendations and experience gained during the two sucesseful legislative elections of Tunisia. 1

3 Table of Contents Introduction... 4 Why parties need internal rules: experience of Canada... 5 Challenges around the drafting proces... 7 Gender sensitive internal rules: experience of Sweden... 9 Gender sensitive internal rules: experience of Kenya Issues raised by the participants Recommendations

4 Acronyms CMD DM EU LPC NIMD NWLC NWLC IDEA SDP SDW ODM TNA URP UDF Centre for Multiparty Democracy (Kenya) Democratic Movement (Kenya) European Union Liberal Party of Canada Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy National Women s Liberal Commission (Canada) The National Women s Liberal Commission (Canada) International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance Social democratic party (Sweden) Social democratic women s organization (Sweden) Orange Democratic Movement Party (Kenya) the National Alliance (Kenya) UNITED REPUBLICAN PARTY (Kenya) UNITED DEMOCRATIC FORUM PARTY (Kenya) 3

5 Introduction Before the revolution of Tunisia in 2011, dozens of new political parties were licensed, creating a new landscape and new political and electoral challenges. Rapidly, the parties were involved in three successive elections, parliamentary elections in 2011 and 2014, in addition to presidential elections held also in 2014, without having necessarily the time to structure themselves: draft platforms, mobilize members, design strategies, choose candidates, and develop proper internal rules and regulations of the parties. It is worth noting that the electoral code provides that candidates are listed on the basis of alternation between men and women. However, parity of male and female candidates failed to bear fruit as political parties were reluctant to place women on top of lists and therefore their representation was limited to 30%. The parity at the top of the lists was rejected by the legislators for the electoral law passed in And political parties remain are also hesitant to adopt gender sensitive bylaws or structures. Despite the fact that several political experts think that specific political parties laws are not necessarily needed in democracy, the internal rules 1 of the parties are quite important and necessary to ensure proper internal organization and transparency as well as equal gender opportunities. According to IDEA report on reforming legal regulations and internal rules of parties, the principles embodied in the parties rules should ideally promote the values of internally democratic party organizations, so that parties engage activists in decision-making at all levels of the party, for example in conference debates about party principles and election programs, as well as giving members a role in the selection of party leaders and candidates. Practical steps towards building internally-democratic parties include mobilizing supporters and building mass membership organizations, decentralizing decision-making in the candidate nomination process, and promoting the inclusion of women and ethnic minority candidates for elected office 2. In this context, IDEA project in Tunisia organized a conference on political parties internal rules to initiate discussions and debate on the importance of parties bylaws. Special focus was devoted to gender sensitive bylaws. The conference was a sequence of short presentations prepared by International experts and practitioners followed by sessions of questions and answers. Comparative perspectives and experiences were presented to provide platform of dialogue and reveal similarities and differences that can lead to a better understanding of political parties development. 1 Sometimes referred to as party statutes, party internal regulations or in some parties constitutions 2 IDEA report on reforming legal regulations and internal rules, P20, 2004 available on the following link 4

6 Why parties need internal rules? The experience of Canada, by Mr. Marc Lavigne Marc Lavigne works in politics since thirty years. He held important positions in the organization of several electoral campaigns and referendums of the Liberal Party of Canada. He is also a political adviser in the area of good governance and strategies elaboration in Canada and abroad. He held the position of Director of Parliamentary Affairs Adviser and the National Assistant of the Director of the Liberal Party. He was also among the Prime Minister of Quebec team. Since 2012, he moved from federal politics to local politics and he is currently member of the local council of the municipality of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu. The internal rules of political parties include requirements and provisions for parties to be transparent in their decision-making and to seek input from their membership at all levels when determining policies, establishing committees or initiating any new change. It offers also the possibilities to resolve all the issues and describes the organs of the party and regulates how the amendments of the rules is introduced. They should ensure proper functioning and development of the parties and should be seen as any rules regulating any field. It determines how the party functions, what is the role of every party s member and structure. It is worth noting that in terms of seize the constitution (bylaws) of the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) comes in 80 pages, the conservative party of Canada is 20 pages and the Green Party of Canada lead by a women is 20 pages. Nevertheless, the clarity and consistency of the contents is more important than the size. The rules should be simple, flexible and democratic. The member of the party is the central component of the rules as parties rely on members to win the elections. The preamble of the rules provides the reason of the constitution of the party and the orientation of the actions and engagements. The preamble of the Liberal party of Canada states that This Constitution governs the affairs of the Party and is the final authority concerning any dispute within the Party. If there is a conflict between this Constitution and any Constituent Body Constitution, this Constitution prevails insofar as the federal affairs of the Party are concerned. In terms of party s structures, the member is again at the heart of the structures. The constitution of the party states that membership in the Party is open without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or mental or physical disability. The board of directors National Board of Directors is the highest authority of the party and it is responsible to manage or supervise the management of the activities and affairs of the Party including finance. 5

7 Gender perspectives: The National Board of Directors of the LPC, by bylaw, may establish any number of committees, consisting of members of the National Board of Directors, to which the Board of Directors may delegate any power that the National Board of Directors may exercise. In this context, article 28, paragraph 2 of the constitution states that in making appointments to a committee established by the National Board of Directors, the principle of equal participation of men and women and the recognition of English and French as the official languages of Canada and geographic regions must be respected. Other gender sensitive procedures are included in the constitution such as the National Policy and Platform Committee that consists of: the National Policy Chair and the National Policy Vice-Chair appointed by the Leader. Article 33 of the constitution stipulates that appointment should be in accordance with the following criteria: if the National Policy Chair is a woman, the National Policy Vice- Chair must be a man, and if the National Policy Chair is a man, the National Policy Vice-Chair must be a woman In addition, article 1 related to the fundamental purposes of the Party states that In pursuing its fundamental purposes and in all its activities, the Party must promote the equal participation of men and women at all levels of the Party. It is also important to mention that the Constitution of the party establish The National Women s Liberal Commission (NWLC) and the purpose of NWLC is to ensure equal participation of women and men at all levels of the Party, to represent and promote the interests of women within the Party and to encourage the active participation of women at all levels of Party activities and every member of the Party who is a woman is entitled to become a member of the National Women s Liberal Commission. The National Women s Liberal Commission is responsible to establish, where practicable, in each electoral district, a women s club. The National President, in consultation with the National Women s Liberal Commission, is responsible to report to every biennial convention of the Party with an assessment of the extent to which equal participation of women and men at all levels of the Party has been achieved. If the convention determines that such equal participation has been achieved, then the National Women s Liberal Commission will be deemed to have completed its primary mandate and the goals and objectives of the Commission will be reviewed with the aim of determining the need for its continued existence. 6

8 The contents of political parties s internal rules and the challenges around the drafting process Mr. Omweri Angima, Political Advisor, Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD-Kenya) Omweri Angima has been working with and for Political Parties in Kenya since He joined the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD-Kenya). He is also a political adviser in the area of good governance and strategies elaboration. in 2004 and is currently working as the centre s Manager, Political Parties Strengthening and Elections. Previously Omweri served as Programmes Officer with the Eastern and Southern African Universities Research Programme, which primarily focused on civic and Voter Education. The Internal party rules and regulations (instruments) must conform to the standards set by the National Constitution and attendant legislation particularly the political party law and international best practices. The instruments must be realistic and enforceable. Political parties run the risk of developing good rules and regulations that are difficult to enforce thus creating room for political manipulation and mischief. Also, they must be clear and unambiguous and should contain realistic sanctions for noncompliance. In addition, the instruments must also be sensitive to the realities of the electoral system i.e. the opportunities available in PR electoral system would vary substantially from majoritarian systems. There are several party instruments. The party constitution which defines the party structure, creates its organs and defines roles, duties and responsibilities. It also defines its ideology and generally buttresses the party s raison d'être. Election rules and regulations and procedures, disciplinary rules and procedures and other binding guidelines. In addition, internal instruments collectively regulate internal processes, actions of duty bearers and generally substantiate the aspirations, provisions and intentions of the National Constitution and legal framework Contents The party constitution contains provisions for the overall structure of the party (governing bodies, powers and privilege of the organs, party officials). It includes, Party s vision, mission, core values and guiding principles. Procedure for its amendment (e.g. change of name, procedure for entering into coalitions, mergers and its dissolution). Eligibility for membership (subscription, resignation, duties, rights etc). In addition to internal party dispute resolution mechanisms and practices that cover marginalized groups Regarding the election nomination process, the rules should include qualifications and requirements for of both candidates and members, method of elections, voting procedures, counting and announcement of results as well as dispute resolution procedures. It should also include how to prepare party lists and 7

9 how to manage gender and marginalized groups quotas. In addition to the polling procedures and petitions against election results. In terms of communication, the rules contain internal communication channels (horizontal and vertical). And modalities for crises communication. Participatory processes to decision making should be also ensured. Challenges for Drafting Weak institutional set-up of political parties and lack of transparency by those assigned the task and failure to consult widely on the content are the main challenges. The lack of capacity among party members to input in the drafting processes and the limited funding base for political parties may also appear as additional challenges. Lack of stakeholder buy-in due to internal suspicions, tensions and danger of vested interests sneaking in self-serving clauses like provisions to provide direct nominations or automatic candidacy to incumbents may encounter the drafting process. It is worth noting that in emerging democracies or countries in transition experienced the weak organizational cultures that are skewed in favor the same entrenched ( old boys )or party owners in parties. The obscured intra-party accountability often make the tasks even more difficult. The rules of the party should ensure Free and fair elections, Free and fair nominations for members and candidates. The rules should be ensure accountability of party resources. In addition, it ensures political and electoral inclusivity, Responsive and transparent operations. Gender sensitivity ability to address the needs of marginalized groups 8

10 Political parties s internal rules and Women s participation Experience of Sweden by Honorabe Ms. Carina Ohlsson Carima Ohlsson, is the President of Social Democratic Women in Sweden since She is also a member of the Swedish Parliament for the Social Democratic Party since 1998 and member of the Swedish delegation to the Council of Europe s Parliamentary Assembly. Previously she was the Vice Chair of the Social Charter, Council of Europe and Chair of the Council of Europe s Committee of children. The Social democratic party in Sweden has an outspoken feminist agenda and the goal is gender equality, as a part of the basic value that all humans should be valued equal, and have equal rights and responsibilities. The Social democratic women s organization (SDW) is a party s agenda and plan. It has been a strong force within the Social democratic party for over 100 years. SDW organizes and educate women politically, and work for gender equal rights at all levels in society. It is worth noting that, historically women have been an important force in forming the gender equality agenda in Sweden. All the way from women s right to vote and women s right to be elected. In the 1990 s S-kvinnor took the initiative to the quota system, which you refer to as a Zipper system quota. In 1993, the Social democratic congress took the decision to start using this system, strongly promoted by many social democratic women participating in the decision. The system was first used in the election in 1994 at the local and national level. The bylaws of the party also state that all groups within the party that will be internally elected should also be men and women. This system is still used today and it is still needed until gender equality will be reached. The Green party and the Left party also use quotas as well, their bylaws says that a minimum of 50 % should be women on their party list. However, the rightwing parties don t use quota systems, and as an effect, they tend to have a lower women s representation. In the social democratic party, the system of course has a direct effect on women s representation. But it also indirectly affecting the other political parties. The public is getting used to women in politics and will be expecting more gender equality, so our work for better representation also puts pressure on parties to have better representation. Today, women represent 44 % are in the Swedish parliament. At governmental level, while the ministers are chosen by the prime minister the equality rule applies and all governments since the 1994 have had a representation of men and women. Sweden has even listed in the Guinness Book of records as the most gender equal government. 9

11 Since 2014 the democratic government is in power again in Sweden, together with the Green party, and the men and women ministers rule still effective. The new government is also the world s first outspoken feminist government. It is important to mention that gender quota systems do not lower the competence quite the opposite- Women s competence have for far too long been neglected and not used at its full potential. Even in the corporate world the results are clear gender equal companies are more efficient and have a higher level of competence, simply because they take advantage of the whole bank of resources in their work staff. This is clearly setting an example even at the international level. Many countries are raising awareness regarding this issue, and discussing the need for gender equality in politics. Many voices are also raised about gender equality in peace process for democratic representation and inclusiveness. Representation is becoming a more and more important issue when the European Union through their representatives at different levels. The European Court recently planned for electing more judges, as it seems two judges from each country will now be elected. And, in this process, a majority of the European Parliament voted that each country would then chose one man and one woman. Today, only 18% of the judges in European Court are women. Therefore, efforts should continue for inclusive and equal representation. 10

12 Experience of Kenya, Dr Adams Oloo, Researcher at the University of Nairobi, Kenya Adams Oloo is currently a Senior lecturer and Chairman of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. He has several publications in both academic journals and book chapters. His publications are mainly in the areas of Democratization, Legislative Politics, Devolution, Regional Integration, Party Politics, Electoral Politics, Security and Constitutionalism. His most recent engagement was as an expert representing Kenya in a team of experts constituted by the Heads of State of the East African Community to advise them on the way forward towards an East African Political Federation. In Kenya- Parties are mostly formed and funded by individuals. Thus the higher the financial contributions of these individuals the higher their decision making power within their respective parties. Women in this scenario have been unable to match their male counterparts and as a result are rendered powerless within their respective political parties. These bottlenecks appeared insurmountable before the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya This was because there was no constitutional and legal framework that compelled political parties to pro-actively create political space for women in party institutions and structures. But despite gender quotas instituted through the Constitution of Kenya 2010 providing for a 'not more than two thirds' of the same gender representation in both appointive and elective offices and the Political Parties Act of 2011 stipulation that political parties have to comply with certain affirmative action requirement for women before they can be registered there are still some challenges. For instance, although all the 59 political parties registered by the office of the Registrar of Political Parties in 2012 while preparing for the March 4 th 2013 General Elections complied with the gender quota requirement the same was not reflected in the subsequent election results as men far outnumbered in the electoral outcomes for various seats. The challenge is thus not in meeting the constitutional and legal thresholds but on the same being translated to positive outcomes for women in the political arena. The end result was that 57 out of the 59 registered political parties participated in the elections yet women's performance in electoral politics did not significantly improve. The end result was that provisions of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the Political Parties Act did not transform the structural, institutional and systemic constraints to women's equal and inclusive participation and increase the uptake of electoral and political spaces by women as was expected. One explanation for women's poor performance is that the male dominated political parties are behaviorally and attitudinally not yet ready for the practical application of gender quotas and gender equity principles within their respective parties. It is against this background that political parties as drivers of democracy must now get more proactively and strategically involved in the promotion of an 11

13 active and visible policy of mainstreaming a gender perspective in order to enhance women's participation in politics and at all levels of decision making that can translate electoral politics as an avenue through which women entrench themselves in governance and decision making processes in the country. INTERNAL REGULATIONS IN THE AGE OF A GENDERED CONSTITUTION 2010 AND BEYOND The legal and constitutional framework for anchoring party by-laws and party regulations that are gender sensitive is now in place in Kenya. Article 91 of the Constitution sets out basic requirements for political parties which includes amongst others; The rights of all persons to participate in the political process including minorities and marginalized groups. This constitutional provision is buttressed by the Political Parties Act under Section 7 that requires the governing bodies of political parties to reflect gender balance and that no more than two thirds of their governing bodies be of the same gender. All the registered political parties have complied with the constitutional and political parties Act requirements as reflected in the following select political parties. THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE (TNA): this is a party that is a senior member of the current ruling Jubilee Coalition and is also headed by the incumbent President- Uhuru Kenyatta. In its Constitution of 2010, TNA in its core values and principles commit to promote equal participation and inclusivity of all people s in governance, promote the equality of all before the law and ensure equity in resource allocation irrespective of cleavage. The party to this end seeks to close all gaps between different cleavages include those based on gender. The party in its constitution also expresses its commitment to the protection of minorities and the marginalized as well as Non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, ethnicity or any other bias. ORANGE DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT (ODM) PARTY: the orange democratic movement is the senior partner in the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) which is the main opposition coalition and is also the largest single party based on the results of the 2013 elections. In its constitution of 2007 and manifesto the party promises to support women's emancipation, combat sexism and ensure women's voices are heard in the party and also ensure that women are represented at all levels of the party organs. The party also outlines its values as geared towards espousing equality, equity and nondiscrimination as well as empowerment of marginalized groups. The party commits to protect and enhance the enjoyment of human rights as enshrined in the constitution as well as in any international conventions to which Kenya is a party to. ODM is further committed to promote gender equality and equity and to enhance women's participation in management of public affairs and national development through affirmative action. WIPER DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT KENYA: the Wiper Democratic Movement is a partner in the leading opposition coalition CORD. In its Constitution and manifesto- the Wiper party commits to promote freedom to participate in political decision making through recognition of equality before the law; 12

14 provision of equal opportunities for all, including women and youth, through the guiding principles of equality and meritocracy. Second, the party affirms its commitment to promote affirmative action as a key strategy to boost women's participation in public affairs and to formulate and implement non-discriminatory policies to ensure parity across all important social lines; Third, the party commits to a 50:50 formula for women representation and appointment in public service; and fourth, the party further affirms that youth and women will be involved in development through affirmative action. UNITED REPUBLICAN PARTY (URP): this party is the second key partner in the ruling Jubillee alliance coalition. The parties leader is also the current deputy president in the name of William Ruto. First, the party pledges commitment to national values and principles of governance as enshrined in the constitution and commits to protect and promote the enjoyment of human rights as enshrined in the constitution and any international conventions to which Kenya is a signatory; Second, the party commits to promote the full participation of women; youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups in national development through affirmative action and mainstreaming; Third, the party provides for non-discrimination of membership on basis of gender, marital status etc; Fourth, the party provides that, elections of party officials shall observe the not more than two thirds gender principle enshrined in the constitution; and fifth, the national governing body establishes a number of posts that are reserved for women. UNITED DEMOCRATIC FORUM PARTY (UDF) - The UDF party was the senior partner in the Amani Coalition in the run up to the 2013 general election. It subsequently entered into a post-election coalition with the ruling Jubilee Alliance coalition. In its Constitution of 2013 the party pledges to protect, uphold and defend the rights and freedoms of all Kenyan citizens especially women, children, youth and persons with disabilities and marginalized groups in Kenya; Second, the party has developed structures that include Women s and Youth League Councils, the chairs of which are members of the National Executive Committee. The constitutional and legal framework for promoting gender equity and women's political participation is already secured both constitutionally and legally in the governance of political parties. The challenge is that although all registered political parties have provisions in their political party constitutions and manifestos that have in-built affirmative action by-laws in support of Women, the same is treated as a token to meet the constitutional and legal requirements and not in a pro-active manner to empower women in the decision making process in the respective political parties. 13

15 Issues raised by the participants Terminology related to political parties internal rules: the differences in the terminology used to mention the internal rules was discussed as some parties in some countries refer to the internal rules as the constitution of the party and in others as by-laws (internal rules) or status. It was explained the internal rules are sometimes referred to as status of the party or Constitutions or internal rules. It was clarified that whatever the terminology is; the rules are the set of written rules by which political parties structure and organize their affairs. Ideally, it is the result of a series of discussions involving party leaders and organizers about the philosophy, purpose and internal organizational structure and processes of the party. It was also mentioned that writing statutes is one of the first tasks in establishing a new political party. In most countries, parties must fulfill certain legal obligations for official registration and recognition. Written statutes are a common requirement. In addition, legal frameworks may stipulate that parties by-laws address particular issues including mechanisms to: ensure women s representation on candidate lists or party decision-making bodies; promote internal democracy in party affairs; and guarantee proper financial management. Structure of the political party: the question of how the structure of the party should be was largely raised. Although party structures vary, internal rules should include party structure. The leadership, committees or branches from the local to the national level. The rules also define the composition, roles and responsibilities of each structure or organ. These authorities should be structured to ensure checks and balances in managing the party s internal affairs. Party rules clarify the responsibilities of each structure, how it formed and the lines of communication, authority and accountability among the party s various layers. For instance, the Canadian Liberal Party s Constitution describes the composition, responsibilities and, where appropriate, the rights of a range of Party structures, including the electoral district associations, provincial and territorial associations, the council of presidents, the national board of directors, committees and commissions as explained by Marc Lavigne. Women s sections/committee within the party: positive or negative? Women s party sections are internal structures within political parties aimed at uniting women members of parties and promoting women s political participation. These party sections may also be referred to as party branches or party wings. Incorporating women s sections into political parties has been in practice in Tunisia, however, some new parties adopted women s wing within the structure while others did not. Participants highlighted the importance of women s wing as women members of political parties can organize themselves into internal party structures to have greater influence on the party platforms and policies and to increase women s participation in the party. Furthermore, women s sections can propose policies important to women including women s health, violence against women, education, employment, and access to property rights. Nevertheless, participants mentioned that these sections may marginalize women by limiting their political role, presence and activism to this structure. Women s sections were also considered as a relevant first step for women involvement in politics and therefore, it is important to establish a framework and structure for women s section and include it in the party s internal rules. 14

16 The importance of involving male from the party was also raised and discussed as important element to promote women s representation and power. Adoption of special measures or quotas to ensure women s participation in the internal rules of parties: quotas can be introduced in the internal rules which require parties to field a certain minimum percentage of women at the various structures of the party. Such quotas can be made mandatory by the internal rules. Political party quotas require strong, stable and disciplined political parties to be most effective. There are experiences (resented in the conference) which use special measures such as Sweden, Canada and Kenya in various ways and at different levels. In practice, implementing a quota will mean that a party will commit to encourage women within the party as activists and as candidates. The effectiveness of quotas in elections was also discussed. Multiparty platform to promote women s rights: the issue of advancing women s rights and status despite the political differences of the parties was also raised from various political parties representatives. Participants highlighted that despite of a range of significant advances in terms of women s rights in Tunisia, too many women still lack basic freedoms and opportunities and face inequalities. Discriminatory laws and customs constrain their opportunities and choices. Participants called the parties to work together to advance women's rights, and increase women's leadership and political participation, to strengthen women's economic power in rural and urban areas and to end violence against women and girls. The use of media by political parties is not gender sensitive: it was highlighted that political parties should encourage women to represent the parties during media interviews and radio or TV programs. Yet, political parties tend to nominate man only and therefore the political debate through the media is male dominated. Women are also far less likely than men to be featured in the news headlines, and to be relied upon as spokesperson or as political experts. As such, there is a link between the participation of women in politics and improvements in the representation of women in media. 15

17 Recommendations The internal rules should correspond to the legal framework adopted: the internal rules of the parties should reflects the constitution of the country in terms of gender as well as the legal framework related to elections and the political parties in general. Some participants stated that in some aspects, internal rules of parties should be even more advanced than the legal framework and promote women s representation at the local and national level. Establishing women s sections within the parties: creating women s wing or sections within the parties and specify it in the internal rules of the parties was recognized as crucial to promote women s participation and involvement in political parties. To achieve this critical goal, participants acknowledged the support needed from the leadership of the party and other influent leaders to dispel the view that women s sections is a threat to the party structure or organization. Adopting special measures in the internal rules to ensure women s representation at all levels of the party and attract women: while the quota system was controversial issue during the conference, the majority of the participants recommended the use of the special measures based on the experience of Tunisia and the other experiences presented. Special measures will ensure that political parties truly reflects the population it represents according to several participants. It was also recognized that when a political party consists only or mainly of men, it becomes very hard to gain public support, and to demonstrate that every citizen is represented. Therefore, measures are needed, and quotas for women in political parties is the most important one. Political parties should take into consideration the obstacles that women face in politics when planning their meetings or organizing political activities. They should also facilitate and support their participation. Encouraging women to represent the party in the media: the television and the media in general has become a central part of the political development of Tunisia according to the participants. Tunisians are constantly subject to the media, whether it be via television programs with its various private and public channels, radios, newspapers, or other advertisements. All of this media, intentionally or not, subtly tend to promote male politics. In this context, participants emphasized the importance of nominating women to represent the party in the media and sensitize journalists on professional and gender sensitive media programs and coverage. Women s access to funding: financial resources are necessary for women to successfully run for elected office. Therefore, political parties should take into account the issue of gender when it comes to finance and resources. Political parties should also ensure that women and men candidates have equal access to funding and assist women candidates by including them in party campaign efforts of fundraising. 16

18 Annex 1 The agenda Time Activity Opening session Registration The importance and the challenges of the formulation process of the Internal Rules of Parties Why parties need Internal Rules? By M. Marc Lavigne, Politician, Canada Coffee break The Contents of the Political parties internal rules and the challenges around the drafting process by : M. Omweri Angima, Political Parties Specialist at the Center for Multiparty Democracy, Kenya Facilitator: Ms. Soulef Guessoum, IDEA Consultant Internal Rules of Parties and gender The experience of Sweden by Mrs Carina Ohlsson, President, Social Democratic Women in Sweden Lunch The experience of Canada by M. Marc Lavigne, Pol itician, Canada Facilitator: Dr. Hafida Chekir, Lawyer and Researcher, University of Tunisia The experience of Kenya by Dr. Adam Oloo, Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Nairobi, Kenya Coffee break Facilitator: Mr. Hamza Amor, IDEA Project staff Recommendations and general discussion Facilitator: Ms. Soulef Guessoum, IDEA Consultant Closing 17

19 Annex 2 Attendance List Nidaa Tounes Taoufik Bouachba tawfikbba@yahoo.fr Olfa Ben Amor olfa.bfsa@yahoo.fr Leila Hamrouni leylahamrouni@hotmail.com Faiza Kéfi Faiza.kefi@planet.tn CPR Walid Ben Omrane w.ben.omrane@gmail.com Ikbal Msadâa Ikbel.msadaa@gmail.com Ines Jedidi inesdje@yahoo.fr Héla Ben Younes Afek Tounes Ahmed Ben Mustapha Ahmed.benmustapha@afektounes.org Emna Hamila Emna.Hamila@afek-tounes.org Sahl Bouharb Sahl.bouharb@afektounes.org Khalil Ghanmi Khalil.ghanmi@afek-tounes.org Popular Front Aziz Ayari azizayari98@yahoo.fr Nedra Belhaj Arfa benhajarfa_nedra@yahoo.fr Thouraya Krichen thourayakrichen@yahoo.fr Sihem Moussa sihem.moussa@hotmail.com Ennahdha Tarek Rezgui tarekrezgui@hotmail.fr Wassila Zoghlami wassila_zoghlami@hotmail.fr

20 Wahida Kaouach Ettayar Sihem Ezzeddine Nabil Hajji Mouvement Echaab Hichem Azlouk Nejiba Ben Hassine Dorra Ben Aissa UPL Makrem Gabsi Chokri Mathlouthi Saoussen Ksibi Salma Tkiki Al Moubadara Fethi Bouzghanda Nadhir Rebaï International organizations UNDP Quentin Deforge NDI Marie-Eve Bodileau Daniel Dezainde Experts and researchers Hafidha Chekir Asma Nouira 19

21 Wejdene Mokrani International Guests Canada Marc Lavigne Kenya Adams Oloo Omweri Angima Sweden Carina Ohlsson Civil Society Organizations Tounissiyet Hager Farhoud Kolna Twensa Hayfa El Ouafi Association tunisienne du droit de développement Sihem Bouazzi International IDEA Soulef Guessoum Hamza Amor Wissal Attouani Bacem Ben Ardhaoui

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