இலங்கை அதிபர் வேட்பாளர்களில் ஒருவர்கூட பெண் இல்லை

Colombo: There is not a single female candidate for the Sri Lanka Presidential Election to be held in ten days. Over half of the total electorate in Sri Lanka is female. Similarly, the proportion of women in the country's workforce is higher than that of men. Despite this, out of the 38 candidates contesting the Presidential Election, not one is a woman. No political party has fielded a female candidate. Women have not come forward to contest independently either. Sri Lanka was the first country in the world to elect a woman as Prime Minister, an event which took place in 1960. Sirimavo Bandaranaike was elected as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka at that time. Following her, Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister of India. Srimao Bandaranaike's daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga, also held the posts of Prime Minister and President of Sri Lanka. 17 million people are eligible to vote in the Presidential Election which is taking place on 21st September. Of these, 52 per cent are women. The proportion of women in the Sri Lankan Parliament has never exceeded 7 per cent. Out of the current 225 Members of Parliament, only 5.3 per cent are women. Women are also given only a small number of ministerial positions. Member of Parliament, Harini Amarasuriya, stated that the requirement for 25% representation of the people in Sri Lanka is merely a statement on paper, and that more women should be encouraged to enter politics.