Hon. Mariama Zombo Advocates for Enhanced Women's Political Inclusion Through PR System and GEWE

Honorable Mariama Munia Zombo, MP for Pujehun District and PRO for the parliamentary female caucus, has expressed strong satisfaction with the government's commitment to increasing women's participation in the political sphere. 

She highlighted the persistent global disparity in political representation, noting that women's parliamentary presence worldwide stands at a mere 25%, despite women outnumbering men globally. 

If women are more numerous than men, their voices must be more prominent in society. 

While acknowledging women's significant contributions domestically and economically, she underscored their continued underrepresentation politically.

Hon. Zombo further emphasized that Sierra Leone's current Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system significantly favors women's political representation in governance and should be sustained. 

While advocating for improved regulations, she contrasted the PR system with the previous first-past-the-post system, which she stated disproportionately benefited men. 

She lauded the wisdom of His Excellency and the government in enacting gender laws, the Political Parties and Public Elections Act, and the Gender Equality and Empowerment Act (GEWE).

She explained that the GEWE specifically addresses the issue of reserved seats for women, asserting that only the PR system can legally facilitate greater female parliamentary presence. The first-past-the-post system, she noted, presented a formidable competitive barrier for women. 

Hon. Zombo's insights reveal that globally, men largely outnumber women in parliament, with very few exceptions where women hold a majority, such as one recent instance with 60% female representation. 

She stressed the importance of achieving equality in political systems, advocating for intentional government action to ensure women's parliamentary seats and active participation in governance. 

She urged universal acceptance of the PR system, citing its benefits for democracy, development, and empowerment. 

The system has already boosted gender representation in the Sierra Leonean parliament from 12-13% to 30.4% (including female paramount chiefs, with 28.2% elected females). 

Hon. Zombo called on the government to review legislative and regulatory frameworks, aiming for maximum, not just minimum, gender representation.