Women have launched an alliance in preparation for next year's general election. Their search for hidden talent is also in full swing. Watch out for the women's 'resistance' that will splash into the 2004 General Election for the 17th National Assembly!
Nine women representing women groups and the political and academic circles, including President Lee Chun-ho of the Women Voters' League, Representative Lee Oh Kyung-sook of the KWAU and Kim Kum-rae of the Women's Bureau of the Grand National Party, gathered in Jeong-dong on May 23. They were the panelists for a special symposium entitled 'Political Reform and the 17th General Election, What should Women Do?' organized by The Women's News.
The panelists agreed to launch a women's alliance in preparation for next year's general election and to make full use of the women's quota by amassing a host of promising women candidates. The panelists also agreed to hold another symposium on June 11 to 'rally' women groups and women lawmakers who were unable to attend the first symposium, and to expand the scope of the alliance as much as possible.
The women also unanimously declared that it was not enough for parties to stipulate the women's quota of 30% in regional constituencies and 50% in proportional representation in their non-legally-binding party platform and regulations; the women's quota must be written into the law, such as the Political Party Act. To enforce this, the suggestion is that the Election Management Committee could refuse to accept candidate registrations from parties that do not adhere to the women's quota, or public funds allocated to such parties could be drastically cut down.
