Women’s Political Participation
in Timor-Leste:
Challenges and Prospects
By Laura Soares Abrantes
APSC-TL, Member of Rede Feto Timor-Leste
Order of presentation:
 Legal framework
 Progress in enforcing the gender quota system
 Role of civil society (focus Rede Feto)
 Challenges and Prospects
 Recommendations for Partnerships
Timor-Leste
Total Population: 1,066,498
Male 544,198
Female
522,211
Rede Feto Timor-Leste
(24 members, all 13 districts)
Alola Foundation
Fokupers
Caucus
APSCTL
FKSH
OPMT
FEEO
FHF
FMF
Pradet
Hafoti
GFFTL
St. Bahkita
OMT
FMH
FHAM
UNFETIP
AMST
PAS
ISMAIK
JURISTAS
ET-WAVE
Sagrada Familia
FPSH
Legal Framework
Timor -Leste Constitution
 Article 16: Universality and Equality
 Article 17: Equality between men and women
 Article 46: Rights to partisipate in politic
 Article 47: Rights suffrage
 Article 63: Partisipation in politic citizenship
Legal Framework
CEDAW (ratified in 2003), UDHR, SCR 1325.
Electoral law
National Parliament Election Law
-No.6/2006
- No.7/2011
Suco (village) Election Law
Municipality Law
Legal Source
Quota type:
Legislated Candidate
Quotas
Electoral law
(approved in
2006, amended
in 2011)
Details
On electoral lists, one out of every
group of three candidates must be a
woman (Law on Election, Article 12
[3]).
Legal sanctions for non- Electoral law
compliance:
The list will be rejected (Law on
Election, Article 12 [3]).
Rank order/placement
rules
On electoral lists, one out of every
group of three candidates must be a
woman (Law on Election, Article 12
[3]).
Electoral law
 Draft Electoral Municipality Law, article 11:
paragraph 3: The candidate lists, effectives and
substitutes, for Municipality parliamentary
should include in a group of 3 candidates at least
one female.
Decree Law Pre-Deconsentration
Organic Statute Pre-Deconcentration Administrative:
article 13: Nomination Process, paragraph 3:
THE CANDIDATE LIST SHOULD INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE
FEMALE IN A GROUP OF 3 CANDIDATES FOR THE
NOMINATION OF DISTRICT MANAGER.
Progress made in the Implementation of
the Gender Quota System
Percentage of women candidates in
2012 Presidential Election
15%
85%
Feto
Mane
Total votes for women candidates in 2012
Presidential Election
Rank
No
Name candidate
Total vote
%
6
Maria Do Céu Lopes da Silva 1,843
0.40%
7
Angelita Maria Pires
0.37%
1,742
% of women-led vs. men-led political parties
Comparative Election Results
(prior to Gender Quota and to 2012, Parliament)
27%
25.20%
38%
Total Candidates (Women & Men) for
Parliament Election 2012 :
Total Number of
Candidates
Women
%
Man
%
1,908
679
35.59
1,229
64.41
% Women Candidates Compared with
% Men Candidates:
Pozisaun
Eleisaun Konsellu Suku
20042009
Númeru
Persentajen
Númeru
Persentajen
Xefe Suku
Xefe Aldéia
Reprezentante
Ferik
7
22
2
2%
1%
0,4 %
11
37
6
2%
2%
1%
Reprezentante
Feto
Total
1,347
19 %
1,379
28 %
1,378
1,433
 Total Members NP : 65 persons
 Women: 25; Man: 40;
 Composition of National Parliament Table:
-President (male)
-2 Vice Presidents (male)
- 1 Secretary and 2 Vice Secretaries
(3 female)
The Role of Civil Society
(Rede Feto Timor-Leste
Women’s Network)
Programs, Projects and Activities that facilitated the
Increase of Women’s Participation in the Election 2012
Pre Election
 Advocacy for amendment the Electoral Law
 Dialogue with political parties
 Trainings on transformative leadership and public
speaking for women in political parties
 Conferences and Workshops
 Public debates through the media (district and national)
Programs, Projects and Activities that facilitated the
Increase of Women’s Participation in the Election 2012
Election period:
 Civic education
 Voter education and motivating women to go out
and vote
 Campaign for women candidates
 Capacity-building for Polling staff
 March for peace
 Together with the international community women
served as observers of the election processes
Post Election:
 Dissemination of election
results
 Strengthen women knowledge
and capacity in their role as legislators
 Action plan for the coming elections:
(municipal 2014; village 2015; general election 2017)
GOVERNMENT
 Total Government Positions (top): 55
Man=45
Women=10:
- 2 female ministers
- 4 vice female ministers
- 4 female Secretaries of State
% Women in Government compared
to Men:
18%
Feto
Mane
82%
Challenges
 Patriarchal system is still very strong and
pervasive especially in far-flung communities;
 Formal & traditional systems place limits on
women’s full participation
 Mindset that women cannot do the job (true to
both women and men)
Challenges
 Low level of education among the majority of
Timorese women narrows down our options in
choosing candidates;
 Political parties comply with the gender quota but
place women in the third slot which prevents
women from taking seats in the parliament in
cases when political parties acquire limited
percentage of votes (3%=1 seat);
FACTS AND EVIDENCE THAT SHOW GENDER
DISCRIMINATION
IN ACTUAL ADMINISTRATION
LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
Source: NOG Pátria.
September– October 2013.
13 Districts Administrators are Male dominated
12 Male Deputy Administrator, 1 Female.
63 Male Sub-districts Administrators, 2 Female
11 Male Directors SAIM (Secretariado de Apoio
ao Instalação de Municipio), 2 Female
431 Male Suco Chefs, 11 Female
In preparation for the municipal (2014), village (2015),
and General Election (2017):
• more concerted and systematic effort by
government and civil society
• programmatic leadership formation for target
women candidates;
• aggressive advocacy to political parties to enlist
women in higher slots in the candidates list base on
merit;
•Widen scope for voters education and motivating
women to go out and vote;
•Continue with programs and projects that aim to
promote gender equality and transform patriarchal
system;
•Advocate for increased women’s participation in
education to improve capacity to run for elective
positions in the long-term;
Continue Strong Advocacy at Local Government
 Approach with 13 local government;
 Approach and seek for the information access from 13
SAIM (Secretariado de Apóio ao Instalação de
Municipio);
 Mobilize resources to include the candidate list for
potential women for district Manager from 65 subdistricts;
 Up-date regular information to women in 13 districts;
 Identify and empowering women to compute for the
structure of pre – deconsentration administrative in 65
sub-districts. The time is limited because the structure of
pre-deconsentration will start be in force in: 1/1/2014.
2. REALITY !!!
1. Depends on the national mobilization;
2. Still lack of interest to seek information in SAIM /
district/local administration;
3. Lack of effort to participate in the forum discussion
on decentralization at district & national level.
(depends on total official invitation);
4. Women themselves – their interest / priority /
preference;
5. Lack of attention from GTGN + SEPI FP + GTGD!!!
 There are some efforts have been doing by the
partners during 2013, to empowering women’s
participation in the process of decentralization.
Women´s group discussion during public consultation in 10
districts (Patria 10); (SEPI, Caucus, APSCTL, UNWOMEN 5)
NGO Pátria had been conducted program ‘Strength Women’s
Participation in Decentralization Process & also in Development
Local Agenda in 13 districts (September & October 2013).
NGO Pátria with UNWOMEN conducted a National
workshop, then advocate to the National Parliament
The establishment of working group for gender
perspective analyzing of the DAPL policy draft.
 NEED ALIIED TO BE UNITED TO
CONDUCT EMPOWERING
PROGRAM FOR WOMEN IN 13
DISTRICTS TO STRENGHTEN
WOMEN’S ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO
PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
- Research work to strengthen advocacy work/database of
researches conducted in Timor Leste
- Capacity building
- Exchange program
- Information Exchange
 NGO Feto (Caucus, together with all members of
Rede Feto), NGO Pátria need to conduct training
program for empowering women to get strong
ability and could contributed in local
development.
 Council Ministers,
 SEDA,
 SEPI,
 Ministry Estatal,
 President Gender working group in 13 Districts.
Obrigada barak! Kmanek wain
basu! Thank you!