Excerpt from The Southern Times newspaper
A leadership programme in politics tailored specifically for women in Seychelles could be a way to boost the role of women in political leadership positions in the island nation, political and civil experts said following a national election that saw mostly men fill the seats of power.
Women hold barely a quarter of the positions in the Cabinet and the National Assembly combined following the October 2020 vote.
Of the 35 members of the new National Assembly sworn in last week, eight are women, up one from seven women in the previous National Assembly. Five women are members of the president’s 13-person Cabinet. No women ran for president or vice president. Taken together women hold 26 percent of those 50 leadership positions.
“Women are there and very active in politics in Seychelles. However, they need to have self-confidence and be self-motivated to get in and assume leadership positions,” Simone Decomarmond told Seychelles News Agency on Wednesday.
Decomamond, a former minister, sits on the executive council of the ruling party. “The long-term solution might be a proper programme tailor suited for women. One in leadership and politics. I am sure that The Guy Morel Institute here can come up with such a programme,” said the ex-minister.
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