Rwanda held its presidential and parliamentary elections on 15 July 2024. Incumbent President Paul Kagame, leader of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF),  won a fourth term in office with 99.18% of the votes. The RPF also won 68.83% of the 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Following the 2024 parliamentary elections, women’s representation in the lower house increased from 61.3% to 63.8%. Rwanda thus remains the country with the highest female representation in parliament globally.

On 29 May 2024, six months after the presidential polls, Madagascar held its parliamentary elections. The ruling party, IRMAR, secured the most seats, 84 out of 163, followed by Firaisankina, which gained 22 seats. Malagasy women remain underrepresented in the National Assembly, securing 16% of the seats compared to 84% among men.

The Union for the Republic (UNIR) won 95.6% of the seats in the Togolese parliamentary elections on 29 April 2024, securing 108 out of the 113 seats. While the Alliance for Democrats for Change (ADD) won 2 seats, the National Alliance for Change (ANC), Dynamic for the Majority of the People (DMP) and Democratic Forces for the Republic (FDR) each secured one seat. Women’s representation in parliament remains low, with 21 women elected to the National Assembly.

On 6 May 2024, Chad held its presidential election. Mr Mahamat Idriss Déby, the transitional leader, won, securing 61% of the votes. Out of the ten presidential candidates, there was one woman. The election marked the return to civilian rule following the military takeover in 2021.

On June 29, 2024, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania held its presidential election. The incumbent President, His Excellency Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, won a second term in office. While observers from the African Union described the election process as peaceful the post-election environment was reportedly marked by unrest and protests. There were no female presidential candidates.

Our aim with the monitoring of elections and political participation of women in Africa is to provide a deeper analysis, in the form of briefing papers that will incorporate primary sources: the views and voices of parties and voters on the ground. Through a table with statistical data, we will be specifically looking at the number of women (i) registered to vote, (ii) running as candidates, (iii) who are elected following the elections. Our analysis will also include an article on the gender specificities of the country where the election is taking place. We will be looking at the situation of women prior to the elections as well as the way that the elections impact the lives of women.

While the early 20th century saw queens ruling various African countries, notably Ethiopia and Swaziland, the early 1990s saw women appearing on the African political scene, notably in Liberia, Burundi and Rwanda with female presidents and prime ministers. We now hope that the second decade of this millennium will see the rise of true female political participation sweep through Africa, with an increased number of women taking part in the polls, being elected as candidates and playing a key role in shaping their own country’s future.

Objectives:

The  objective is to  provide an easy to use tool to follow the role of women in elections across Africa by covering the position of female candidates before and after the elections have taken place.The accessibility of current and reliable data on women’s political participation, access to leadership is even more difficult to find and compile. Without this information it is difficult to construct an objective view, analyze and interpret the position of women with regards to political participation. By providing this data in an accessible, easy to read framework (ie table) MEWC hopes to provide an information gateway to researchers, policy makers, students other women’s organizations and local voters...

Our aim with the monitoring of elections and political participation of women in Africa is to provide a deeper analysis, in the form of briefing papers that will incorporate primary sources: the views and voices of parties and voters on the ground. Through a table with statistical data, we will be specifically looking at the number of women (i) registered to vote, (ii) running as candidates, (iii) who are elected following the elections. Our analysis will also include an article on the gender specificities of the country where the election is taking place. We will be looking at the situation of women prior to the elections as well as the way that the elections impact the lives of women.

While the early 20th century saw queens ruling various African countries, notably Ethiopia and Swaziland, the early 1990s saw women appearing on the African political scene, notably in Liberia, Burundi and Rwanda with female presidents and prime ministers. We now hope that the second decade of this millennium will see the rise of true female political participation sweep through Africa, with an increased number of women taking part in the polls, being elected as candidates and playing a key role in shaping their own country’s future.

Objectives:

The  objective is to  provide an easy to use tool to follow the role of women in elections across Africa by covering the position of female candidates before and after the elections have taken place.The accessibility of current and reliable data on women’s political participation, access to leadership is even more difficult to find and compile. Without this information it is difficult to construct an objective view, analyze and interpret the position of women with regards to political participation. By providing this data in an accessible, easy to read framework (ie table) MEWC hopes to provide an information gateway to researchers, policy makers, students other women’s organizations and local voters...

2021 Elections Monitoring

2022 Elections Monitoring

Our objective is to provide a user-friendly tool to track women's roles in African elections, focusing on female candidates' status before and after elections. Access to up-to-date and reliable data on women’s political involvement and leadership access is rare. Without such data, it's challenging to objectively view, analyze, and understand women's political positions. By offering this data in an accessible format (e.g., tables), MEWC aims to be an information resource for researchers, policymakers, students, women's organizations, and local voters.

Our goal in monitoring elections and women's political participation in Africa is to offer detailed analysis through briefing papers. We'll present statistical data on women's engagement in politics, specifically looking at (i) registered female voters, (ii) women running as candidates, and (iii) women elected post-election. This analysis will also cover gender dynamics in the election's country, examining women's conditions before and how the elections affect women's lives.

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