The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Ghana), has urged political parties in the country to consider the selection of women as their running mates ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.

According to FIDA-Ghana, this is to ensure that at the end of the election season, no matter the party that comes out victorious, it will have a woman as vice president.

This FIDA believes, will ensure greater female representation in Ghana’s governance structures and further encourage more women participation in the country’s political space.

The Federation bemoaned the underrepresentation of women in the country’s governance structure and political scene.

“Ghana has organised seven successful elections since 1992 yet women’s share of parliamentarians in all these elections has always been below the African average of 21 percent and far less than the UN recommended 40 percent minimum threshold. Even at the district level elections, Data from the Alliance for Women in the Media stated that females elected as assembly members are less than five (5) percent,” they stated in a press release.

It added that while so-called smaller parties like the Progressive People's Party (PPP) and the Convention People's Party (CPP) have blazed the trail in ensuring that women are given greater political representation, the two main political parties have left much to be desired.

“The selection process of female candidates is through the political parties and until recently, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2020 also elected its first female running mate, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman. This leaves the incumbent New Patriotic Party, (NPP) trailing as it has yet to elect a female running mate,” the Federation stated.

“Any political party that shows little inclination to nominate women as running mates and support their female candidates, sends signals that they have a male-oriented party culture that is undemocratic and exclusive, favouring male participation.

“Such a culture ignores women’s rights to fully participate in politics. Additionally, any culture that asks female candidates to step down for more “successful” male candidates perceived by the leadership of political parties as a “safe” candidate over the female candidate contravenes the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Goal 5, which calls for gender equality,” the Federation argued.

It has therefore called on political parties to put in place measures to reduce the cost of filing fees among other campaigning fees for women to ease their entry into politics.

“Past efforts by political parties to put in place positive measures such as a reduction in the filing fees for female contestants is a great initiative and FIDA calls for similar measures to ensure that women candidates can pay filing fees.

“Political parties can go beyond providing breaks in registration fees and have in place a fund-raising strategy that should be implemented as a guide for fundraising.”

It added that political parties should also ensure that women are given the much needed visibility in the upcoming 2024 general elections.

“A fifty percent (50%) participation of both genders in all party functions is key in sending the message that women candidates are equally competent to handle governance issues just as men. Therefore, in all campaign rallies, and televised party activities there must be just as many women speakers as men.

“Additionally, television and other media coverage heightens women candidates’ visibility and political parties must take advantage of such events and ensure that both males and females jointly chair public events as these graphic images send powerful visual messages to voters,” the Federation urged.

FIDA-Ghana noted that while it is urging political parties to consider female running mates in the 2024 presidential elections, it cautioned that their plea should not be misconstrued as a limitation of women to running mate positions only.