Liberia: NEC Blamed for Political Parties’ Non-Adherence to Gender Quota

Research conducted by the Organization for Women and Children (ORWOCH) on women candidates’ experiences during the 2023 election revealed that the National Elections Commission (NEC) showed limited political will to ensure that political parties adhere to the 30 percent gender quota.

The research targeted 44 women ORWOCH supported during the election, showing that women candidates faced unnecessary obstacles resulting from the limited legal protection afforded them.

“Women’s rights organizations can offer feminist approaches and solutions to many hurdles,” Atty Mombeydo Joah, ORWOCH executive director, said. “Political Parties lacked mechanisms to prevent corrupt practices during the candidate nomination process.” 

She emphasized the urgent need for NEC to collaborate with stakeholders to create an accountability mechanism that clarifies what it means to “ensure” in the absence of an enforceable framework.

“The NEC must establish and create awareness where women candidates who fear reprisals can report corrupt party officials who manipulate candidate nominations against women candidate interests.”

According to the research there were 22 respondents, 19 respondents representing 86.36% who said they have participated and or contested more than once while the other three person representing 13.64% indicated that the 2023 elections was their first time contesting. 

The report stated that 22 respondents stated that they contested on political parties ticket and small numbers said they ran as independent candidates and on political alliance parties ticket. 

“17 ran on political tickets, representing 77.27%; two respondents said they ran as independent candidates representing 9.09%, and 3 respondents ran on political alliance tickets representing 13.64%.”

“Those who run on political parties or alliance tickets are said to ease the candidates’ nominations process, and benefit from political parties’ membership base and or get financial and political parties support.” 

When Liberia elected Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the first woman president in 2006, women’s rights advocates were elated. Her victory brought joy to many who have campaigned for women’s political participation, and advancement. 

But seventeen years later, the number of women seated in elective offices is still low. Liberia has one of the lowest levels of representation of women in elective office in the world, according to World Bank 2022 data. Just 11 percent of the seats in the legislature are held by women.

In 2005 a gender quota requirement on candidate listing was set through the “Guidelines Relating to the Registration of Political Parties and Independent Candidates,” aimed to ensure that 30 percent of its candidates are women.

Although no political parties met the 30%, for the major parties in 2005, the average was 20% women on candidate listings then Congress for Democratic change-21.7%, Unity Party-8.8%, and Liberty Party 22%. 

Overall in 2005, out of 873 candidates, 207 were women-almost 24%. These percentages were higher than in any election thereafter. As a result, the 2005 elections saw the highest percentage of women elected to the legislature with approximately 17% in the senate and 14% in the representative.

These guidelines for political parties were dropped by the 2011 elections and in 2014, the amendments to the new elections law included the phrase “endeavor to ensure” but did not define what constitutes endeavoring to ensure nor include any accountability mechanism.

From 2005 to 2014, not a single political party met the 30% threshold. Only one of the 24 registered parties or coalitions left the quota in 2017. The biggest strongest parties or coalitions did not come close. Up 17%, CDC 11.5%, and LP 10%. In 2020, only two of the nine political parties or coalitions with multiple candidates met the quota. So, without support from political parties, the percentage of women in the legislature has fallen from 16 % in 2006 to less than 13% in 2012, and 11% in 2014. This fell further to under 10% in 2021 and in 2024 is now 10.7%.

Atty Joah recommends that a feminist approach must be adopted to support local women's rights organizations with core funding to address the challenges women face during candidate nomination.

“The government must formulate a strategy for financing political parties that achieve parity. She said, “Political parties must include in their various plan mobilization, recruitment, and training of women candidates.”

She noted that the NEC must start monitoring gender adherence at least three years before the general election year.