Shahrizat: BN fielding more female candidates in GE14

Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. -The Star filepic

PETALING JAYA: More women are contesting under the Barisan Nasional flag in GE14 compared to the previous polls.

Barisan Wanita chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (pic) said that 85 women have been chosen as candidates, 15 more than in GE13.

"The increase of 15 candidates from the 13th General Election shows that Barisan is committed in championing women in all sectors, including politics.

"This is 11.7% of the total seats being contested. As many as 26 women will be contesting for parliamentary seats while 59 more will be contesting at state assembly level," she said in a statement on Friday (April 27).

She added that most of the women being fielded this time around were fresh faces.

"For GE14, 49 candidates are fresh faces while 36 more are returning candidates. This combination shows that Barisan constantly makes room for change without forgetting experience," she added.

Earlier, Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower) said in a statement Friday that political parties should place women candidates in winnable seats if they are serious about their commitment to see the healthy participation of women in politics.

As of April 24, 53 women candidates have been nominated for parliamentary seats, of which there are 222 seats, while 116 women candidates have been nominated for the 505 state seats nationwide.

"Enabling women's political representation is about ensuring a more equal distribution of power, to better ensure that women's lived realities and experiences are taken into account when addressing national concerns," said Empower advocacy and capacity building officer Ain Nasiehah.