113th INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
KATHMANDU, MARCH 7
National Assembly Vice-chair Urmila Aryal said that provision should be made to allow women to directly contest 50 per cent of the FPTP seats.
Addressing a greeting exchange programme held in Kathmandu on the occasion of the 21st Establishment Day of National Women's Commission and the 113th International Working Women's Day today, Vice-chair Aryal said that arrangements should be made to allow women to contest elections in 50 per cent of the seats.
She said that 50 per cent of the candidates should be male and 50 per cent female. While mentioning that the population of women is more than men in Nepal, Vice-chair Aryal held the view that women should not be limited only to 33 per cent representation.
Aryal said that the representation of women in key positions of state bodies is also low and attention should be paid to women's representation in key positions.
She said that when women were represented proportionally, their contribution and history were also devalued. She said that if 40 per cent of women candidates were directly elected, incidents of financial manipulation would decrease and the electoral system would be more transparent.
She also said that women should be brought to the top level of political parties. So far, women have not been able to play a role in the decision-making level of political parties.
She also opined that the National Commission for Women should work for women at the ground level. She urged the Women's Commission to work to resolve the pain, grievances and problems faced by women.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 8, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
