POLITICS AND SOCIETY

En vue de la recherche de l'equilibre du genre dans la politique congolaise, les femmes ont ete suffisamment sensibilisees a s'investir dans gestion de la chose publique. Cet eveil de la conscience feminine a rencontre l'adhesion de plusieurs femmes qui, a cet effet se sont presentees comme candidates aux elections legislatives de novembre 2011 dans les memes listes que les hommes. Toutefois, dans la plupart des partis politiques, au lieu que les candidatures feminines a la deputation nationale soit considerees au meme titre que leurs compatriotes masculins, elles sont considerees comme collistieres dans les listes de leurs partis politiques pour accompagner ces derniers. Un autre aspect tres important observe sur terrain est que les femmes se sont heurtees a la problematique de moyens financiers et materiels pour mettre en place leurs propres partis politiques, c'est alors qu'elles demeurent soumises a ces manoeuvres qui contribuent a l'aneantissement de leurs efforts et leurs courages.

Consequences ; La pauvrete de la femme fait que les femmes candidates ont eu de difficultes pour battre campagne, notamment, le manque d'une prise en charge pour le transport et les divers contacts avec les electeurs, la production du materiel de campagne, etc...

-Cette situation fait que les femmes n'ont pas eu la chance d'atteindre leurs electeurs en vue de les convaincre a voter massivement pour elles. Cet aspect a contribue suffisamment a l'echec des femmes dans le processus electoral.
Neanmoins, les femmes ne se sont pas toujours decouragees, elles continueront a se porter comme candidates aux elections provinciales, municipales et locales qui auront lieu dans les prochains jours.

-Les femmes representent un taux eleve au sein de la population congolaise; toutefois, plusieurs d'entre elles, ne comprennent pas encore l'importance de soutenir les candidatures de leurs semblables quand bien memes elles disposent des competences.

Actions a mener ; Relever la capacite des femmes a se porter comme candidate,
-Soutenir materiellement les femmes candidates, en vue de lever le defi,
-Sensibiliser toutes les femmes congolaises a se solidariser et a ne pas se sous-estimer mutuellement.

English translation by PulseWire member Elle Crossley

With the fight for equality between the sexes in Congolese politics, women have realised that they have the capacity to work in Public Management. This awakening of female consciousness saw several women run as candidates in the legislative elections of November 2011 in the same lists as men. But, in most political parties, instead of giving the female parliamentary candidates the same status as their male compatriots, they were considered to be fellow candidates in their political parties' lists and there to accompany the men. Another very important problem observed in the process was that women ran into financial difficulties and were unable to publicise their own political parties. These factors conspired against them and led to the ruin of all their efforts and courage.

Consequences:
Poverty among woman means that female candidates had difficulty campaigning. They couldn't afford the transport fares to travel to meet the voters, or to produce campaign material.

Women were not able to reach voters to convince them to vote for them. This factor contributed significantly to their failure in the elections. Women were not always discouraged however. They continue to run as candidates in the provincial, municipal and local elections, which will take place in the next few days.

Women form a high percentage of the Congolese population. However, many of them have not yet understood that it is essential to support fellow women candidates when they are skilled.

Actions that should be taken: help women to run as candidates:
Support female candidates financially in the hope of meeting the challenge
Promote solidarity among all Congolese women and encourage them not to underestimate each other.