Registrar wants women contestants mentored for polls

REGRISTRAR of Political Parties Dr Alphonse Gelu says the organisation will focus on awareness through an expo at institutions and public rallies on the importance of voting and contesting in next year’s national election.
Gelu said the awareness would be based on giving reasons to be members of the parties to encourage more female membership and a workshop to prepare candidates.
“Mentoring of women candidates for next year was an idea that came about to address the absence of women’s voices in Parliament.
“The main premise behind this is to get women to prepare early to be members of Parties and for them to be endorsed by parties,” he said.
Gelu said this when giving updates in Port Moresby on the organisation’s activities leading up to the election.
He said the registry covered the entire country except New Ireland, Hela and Southern Highlands.
Gelu said the regional mentoring was done in partnership with the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and the final mentoring would be the national forum, learning and development workshops that would be supported by UNDP and United Nation women.
He said the national forum would capture the convention, review of party policies, enlisting of membership, endorsing candidates, endorsing women candidates, party branding, campaign strategies and electorates to contest. Gelu said these would prepare party executives for the elections parties needed to prepare well when going into an election.