MDP: Women’s percentage in parliament needs to be increased

Main opposition MDP, on Friday, has cited increasing the percentage of women in parliament as “something which absolutely needs to be done”.

In a statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day – MDP cited increasing the percentage of women in the parliament as “something which absolutely needs to be done”, adding the party’s commitment to work in this trajectory through the bill to amend the constitution submitted to the parliament by Addu Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam.

The party expressed hope for cooperation from all political parties to achieve the goals stipulated in Maldives’ Gender Equality Action Plan.

MDP, in their statement, also admitted the absence of women in forming the party’s policies to the implementation of these policies. Therewith, they cited the need to increase the percentage of women in the party’s leadership.

The party underscored that the former administration led by MDP’s coalition had undertaken valuable efforts in trajectory to improve the aforementioned issues.

In this regard, the party said a large number of women were appointed senior government posts, including on ministerial levels while women were in equal in numbers to men in senior posts at embassies and high commissions.

“Loans especially for women and programs that assist to undertake economic activities were implemented. Maternity leave for new mothers was declared as six months while paternity leave for new fathers was declared as one month,” the statement read.

In addition to this, MDP said a 33 percent quota for women was allocated on the Supreme Court bench for the first time, which was followed by the appointment of female judges to the Supreme Court for the first time during the administration.

The party also cited women as a crucial part of the Maldives’ journey to democracy and therefore, thanked all women who had been involved in this work.