Essay On Political Participation

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Political participation comes in many forms; it is not limited to voting or joining a political group/movement. Reading newspapers, talking about politics, watching the news, participating in rallies/protests, volunteering for political activity, civic participation and social engagement are all part of political participation. While it is more likely for one to think of the above examples as political participation, there are also other unconventional forms of political participation, such as civil disobedience, breaking laws for political beliefs, boycotts and political violence (that could be interpreted as terrorism by some). Hence, political participation, in the simplest terms, is “all political activities of citizens as well as the attitudes …show more content…

The 1956 constitution granted women the right to vote and to stand for office. A survey of the expression of these principles in practice shows, however, that the actual representation of women has remained almost insignificant: women held two seats in the legislature (0.57 per cent of the total number of seats) in 1957 and 11 (2.49 per cent)—seven elected and four appointed by the president—in 2000. The situation is not much better on the local councils. This poor representation extends to women’s presence in political parties, which is extremely limited, if not completely lacking. The highest proportion of women members in a political party is 2 per cent …show more content…

The notion that oppression breeds resistance is echoed in the prominent political activist’s words of Doctor Karima El-Hefnawy who says, “when society keeps telling women they cant be judges or presidents, they try to prove the opposite and this gives them more motivation to excel… As a female you have to snatch your rights, one after the other, you have to defy traditions and be in the frontlines” (Affify 2011). El-Hefnawy together with other women activists insist upon resistance against all forms of subjugation asserting their determination to exercise their full rights as equals to