Women's politics are significantly present in the 2022 Timor Leste Presidential Election. Of the 16 presidential candidates, there are four women and one of them reached the third position in the vote. The two presidential candidates who went on to the second round also had women's agendas that were prioritized.
“The women's agenda has been presented by presidential candidates several times. Not only from women presidential candidates but also from men presidential candidates,” said President of Timor-Leste Journalist's Association (AJTL), Zevonia Vieira to Electionhouse.org (22/3).
Zevonia explained that the guarantee of women's rights in the Timor Leste constitution was one of the reasons why women's issues were present in the presidential election. Normatively, the things submitted by the candidates are things that are in accordance with the constitution.
The body of the 2022 Timor Leste Constitution has many words for women and gender. All are in provisions that emphasize equality, equal rights, and anti-discrimination
“Candidates are used to discussing gender issues, including transgender. The hope is that it will not only be conveyed in the campaign but also be realized when the candidate is elected," concluded Zevonia. []
