The candidates for the Malagasy municipal and communal elections on December 11 are overwhelmingly men, with women representing only 6% of the 5,389 municipal list heads. In Antananarivo, the National Council of Women of Madagascar provides training to strengthen the place of women in decision-making positions. On the program, preparation for the campaign and to exercise the functions of mayor or municipal councilor.
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From our correspondent in Antananarivo,
Prepare a budget, make a decision by municipal decree or master the codes of political communication. For two days, 60 candidates from almost all regions of Madagascar learned the basics of managing a municipality. Most of them are new to politics.
Among them, Marie Rosalie Rahelisoa is running for a term as municipal councilor at the town hall of Morondava, on the west coast of the Big Island: “ What was useful for me was learning about the separation of tasks between municipal councilors and mayors. It gave me additional skills “, she explains. The future of the country depends on us. We women must feel responsible and actively participate in public life in order to change the situation. »
For Lalà Rasanjison, candidate for mayor of Antsirabe, this training was also welcome. “ This is my first time running for mayor. You have to know what you’re getting into. It’s essential that women come forward, because this is the way for us to bring change for the country », she adds.
“ The position of women has always been considered inferior to that of men. »
But cultural barriers are still numerous, believes the president of the National Council of Women of Madagascar Estelle Andriamasy. So, this training also aims to give confidence to women candidates and to convince them that they are legitimate.
“ In Malagasy society, the place of women has always been considered inferior to that of men. There isn’t really this culture of parity in the community. The decision is up to men. Society has prejudices about women: they are not capable, their role is at home, to take care of the family. It’s somewhere anchored in women’s mentalities “, she explains.
Despite an increase in the proportion of women in decision-making positions over the last ten years, they still remain under-represented. The National Assembly, for example, has only 27 women out of 163 deputies.
To foster a new generation of women leaders in Madagascar, several associations, including the National Council of Women of Madagascar, are now calling for a law imposing gender parity in the National Assembly and in decision-making positions in public administration. .