Somali women fight for promised share of parliamentary seats

The Garowe Principles, signed by Somali leaders in December 2011 and bolstered in February, stated that 30% of seats in the NCA and the parliament would be reserved for women.

However, promises made by political leaders have yet to be implemented, as women were only given 25% of the seats in the NCA, according to Halima Ismail, a member of the Technical Selection Committee.

Somali women occupied 7% of seats in the Transitional Federal Government parliament, which will expire in August, even though the Transitional Federal Charter reserves 12% of parliamentary seats for women. Women