The Secretariat of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEII) has registered a total of 18 women currently leading sukus (villages) across nine (9) municipalities in the country.
Secretary of State for SEII, Elvina Sousa Carvalho, said that Law No. 9/2016 provides space for women’s participation in suku elections, and as a result, a total of 241 women competed in the 2023 suku elections.
“Of the 241 women who competed with men in the suku elections, 18 were elected to lead them,” she said.
She said that of the 18 women currently leading sukus, four (4) are in Aileu Municipality, one (1) in Ainaro, four (4) in Baucau, one (1) in Bobonaro, one (1) in Covalima, three (3) in Dili, one (1) in Ermera, two (2) in Manatuto and one (1) in Manufahi.
“These numbers show that women are interested in taking on local leadership roles, particularly as Suku Chiefs and Aldeia (Hamlet) Chiefs, including within the overall suku structure, where there are also delegates and female and male youth representatives,” she said.
She said that the government continues to work with national and international partners to build the capacity of potential women leaders and encourage them to compete in future elections.
Meanwhile, President of the Baucau Municipality Potential Women’s Association, Regina de Sousa, said that Baucau Municipality has 59 sukus and 25 women stood as candidates for Suku Chief, including three (3) from Baguia Administrative Post, two (2) from Laga, six (6) from Venilale, six (6) from Quelicai, two (2) from Vemasse and five (5) from Baucau Vila.
“Of the 25 women who stood as candidates, four (4) were elected to lead sukus,” she said.
She said that the association continues to encourage women, particularly in Baucau Municipality, to participate in training so they can prepare themselves to compete in elections.
“Our association’s role is to provide leadership training for women on how to lead. This allows them to prepare themselves before competing in elections,” she said.She said that through training, the number of women participating in elections can increase, as well as the number of women leading sukus.
