In a rare show of support for women’s leadership, Members of Parliament on Wednesday elected Esther Jolobala as Second Deputy Speaker after her male contender, Owen Malijani, withdrew from the race to promote gender balance in the August House.
The elections, held on Wednesday following the swearing-in of Members of Parliament earlier in the week, also saw the House elect the Speaker and later the First and Second Deputy Speakers.
The Clerk of Parliament, Fiona Kalemba, presided over the election of the Speaker, where five Members initially showed interest in the position. However, only four were allowed to contest following parliamentary guidelines, as Kondwani Nankhumwa of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was disqualified due to late submission of his nomination. The four were Sameer Suleman, Peter Dimba, Sandram Scot and Rasken Ligawo.
Out of the four contestants, all male, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator for Blantyre City South East, Sameer Suleman, emerged winner after defeating three others.
After being elected, Speaker Suleman took over to preside over the nomination and election process for the First and Second Deputy Speakers.
For the position of First Deputy Speaker, three people contested Catherine Mzumara of the United Transformation Movement (UTM) being the only female candidate, while Victor Musowa of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Emmanuel Chambulanyina Jere of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) were the other two. However, the seat again went to a male candidate, Victor Musowa.
That left the Second Deputy Speaker race as the only remaining hope for female representation, with Abigail Shariff Bongwe and Esther Jolobala facing off against Owen Malijani.
Before nominations could proceed, Malijani Member of parliament for Mchinji South stood on a point of order and announced his withdrawal from the race.
"Honourable Speaker, with the election of two males as Speaker and First Deputy Speaker, if I happen to win, there will be no female representation. As such, allow me to withdraw from the race and pave the way for my sister Jolobala," said Malijani, earning loud cheers from members of the House.
When the House was ready to vote, Abigail Shariff Bongwe, Member of Parliament for Zomba Likangala Constituency, also withdrew from the contest, leaving Jolobala to go unopposed.
Reacting to the development, UTM Member of Parliament for Mulanje West, Patricia Kaliati, hailed Malijani for demonstrating respect for gender representation and showing that men also have a role to play in advancing women’s leadership.
“I am standing to salute the man who has forgone his chance so that a woman can take the position of second deputy speaker. On behalf of all women who are here, I would like salute Honarable Member for Mchinji South for paving the way for Machinga East. We also thank the leadership for appointing honorable Jolobala and we are happy for all the women who are here, said Kaliati.
Speaking to Umunthu FM earlier, Jolobala, who is United Democratic Front (UDF) Member of Parliament for Machinga East, said she contested the position because she believes she has the capacity to lead change in the House.
She pledged to champion issues that affect women and ensure that their voices are heard, including creating platforms that empower women to speak confidently in Parliament.
"I will ensure that organizations we work with, such as WOREC, UNICEF, the UN and others, provide capacity building for women so that they can be confident and able to speak in the House," said Jolobala.
"I believe if more women are able to speak, it will encourage communities to vote for women in the upcoming elections’, she added.
Jolobala who has served as a Member of Parliament since 2014, becomes the only woman in the current parliamentary leadership team, a step that gender advocates have described as crucial for promoting inclusivity.
Unlike the previous Parliament which had two women in the leadership, Catherine Gotani Hara as Speaker and Aisha Adams as Second Deputy Speaker, the current leadership now has only one, raising concern over declining female representation in decision making positions.
Gender advocates including the NGO- Gender Coordination Network, believe that the presence of women in the previous leadership helped amplify gender issues and motivate more women to aspire for political office.
However, with women now making up only 48 of the 223 Members of Parliament, about 21 percent- progress toward gender equality remains slow.
Meanwhile, President Professor Peter Mutharika has congratulated Suleman, Musowa and Jolobala on their election to the positions of Speaker, First Deputy Speaker, and Second Deputy Speaker, respectively.
