Tunisia's female politicians prepare to seize their chance in local polls
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Version 0 of 1. At a hotel in the desert city of Tozeur, 26-year-old pharmacist Mariem Bouattour is preparing to share the findings of a survey into women’s opinions on key challenges for the local government. Waiting to hear her is a small crowd of around 150 people, but the event is part of a much bigger drive to get Tunisian women into politics. Some 1,250 questionnaires were distributed throughout Tozeur, canvassing women’s opinions on 10 of the issues perceived as facing the municipal government. Subjects ranged from the provision of cultural services to transparency in government. Public hygiene, health services and local government infrastructure were considered the most pressing. The presentation is taking place at a “political academy”, organised by Aswat Nissa (Women’s Voice), an NGO dedicated to promoting women’s interests across Tunisia. The organisation is preparing women to stand in local elections and the academy provides a space for discussion of local issues before next year’s municipal polls, as part of the dentralisation promised in the 2011 constitution. For women, the academies offer not just an opportunity to lobby their political leaders to get the most pressing issues into their manifestos, but a platform for those who want to go into politics themselves to convince potential voters they are up to the job. “There are women in both industry and politics, but there aren’t really any in decision-making positions,” said Bouattour, who will stand as an independent candidate in the municipal elections. “If you’re in power you can address the issues affecting women. You understand them better. We live in a patriarchal society, so it’s important to have women with the will, the power and the energy to create change and push through the action we need to improve the situation for women in Tunisia,” she said. Related: Rural women in Tunisia: ‘We have been silent for too long’ | Nay Elrahi Tunisia comprises 24 governorates, divided into 264 municipalities and 36 village councils. Devolution is aimed at tackling growing regional inequalities and to ensure more equal distribution of funds for local services. Both the degrees of devolution and the exact timing of the elections are still to be determined by the national constituent assembly. However, the decentralisation of power across the country’s diverse political, social and ecological landscape has meant that significant change looks inevitable. Women are hoping to seize the opportunity. Among them is Ourida Touhami, who is preparing to stand as a candidate for Ennahda, the centrist Islamic Party. “The municipality is the foundation of politics. It’s here where you directly interact with other women and the populace at large … This is a real opportunity to show society what women are, that they have agency; that women can genuinely affect change.” But this will not be easy. “The majority of women don’t have political experience,” said Ikram Ben Said, president of Aswat Nissa. “Even if they’ve been members of political parties since, say, 2011, they have very little responsibility within that party. Also, those political parties aren’t really investing in women. They have women when it’s time for election, because of the parity law, [the stipulation that parties provide a minimum number of female candidates], but they don’t have a long-term vision for them.” It’s a legacy that Aswat Nissa is striving to counter, working with women across the political spectrum nationwide to develop their skills as politicians. Women have to be more active if we’re ever going to represent society as a whole “We’re seeking to develop women’s capacities in three main areas,” said Ben Said. “Firstly, there’s gender sensitive budgeting, because if you’re going to improve equality you’re going to need money … The second part is that, by participating in the political academies, women will go out and engage with potential voters, to convince them that they’re here and they’re ready to serve them. Thirdly, they’re there to present the priorities of women to their political parties and convince them to include them within their electoral programmes.” But Professor Kais Saied, one of the country’s leading constitutional experts, is sceptical about the devolution process and exactly how much power central government is willing to cede. “They’re worried they might lose some of their authority. The revolution came from within, from the inner states, then through the local authorities and to the centre,” he said. Prof Saied is also sceptical about the success of quotas in elections, although it has yet to be decided whether quotas for female candidates will form part of the municipal elections. “Unfortunately, women’s roles in Tunisia are quite limited. They’re perceived as cosmetic. In the last elections, despite the laws on fair representation for women, the quotas were only ever superficial. Women have to be more active if we’re ever going to represent society as a whole.” Organisations like Aswat Nissa are preparing to do just that. |