34 women - participants of the Leadership School became deputies of local councils

On April 11, 2021, elections to 420 local councils from 452 municipalities were held across the country. To help increase the participation of women in local councils, the Swiss project "Public Service Improvement" organized a Leadership School for 65 women candidates from 24 target municipalities of Issyk-Kul and Jalal-Abad regions.

The purpose of the Leadership School for Women Candidates to Local Councils was to provide women not only with theoretical knowledge, but also with practical advice throughout the entire electoral process.

The program of the School of Leadership included three days of intensive trainings, which included thematic sessions on the amendments to the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Elections of Local Council Deputies," the functions and responsibilities of local deputies, in addition, the participants learned about leadership and effective communication skills, as well as the procedures for registration to participate in elections and preparation of individual pre-election information campaigns with relevant political programs.

The Leadership School also launched a month-long mentoring program, which included practical advice through phone calls and various social media and communication platforms.

Thanks to the Leadership School, 56 participants decided to participate in the elections to local councils and registered with the relevant territorial election commissions (TECs). Of these, 34 participants were elected deputies of local councils.

Since municipalities for the first time applied the change in the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Elections of Deputies of Local Councils" and the norm to reserve at least 30% of mandates for women in local councils, all participants noted the importance and timeliness of this event. They emphasized the fact that they were successful due to the knowledge and guidance provided by the trainers and did not resort to such measures that went beyond the legality of the election campaign. According to them, they were able to gain the trust of the population through competent campaigning, correctly presenting their election programs to their voters.

Gulzat Chotoyeva described her experience as follows: "The school gave me great support in the election process. I felt constant support from the trainers and got answers to all my questions. I managed to organize my election campaign very well. I did everything according to the requirements of the law, as I was taught in our trainings. I was able to win fairly, without taking bribes or bribing voters, and this is my main success.

Gulnara Bostonova: "In my election campaign, I used the knowledge I received during the consultations. I raised vital issues of the village and demonstrated ways to solve these problems depending on the competence of the local council and local authorities. I held meetings with voters in each village and tried to be a good example for other candidates and members of the local community to achieve good results without breaking the law and without bribing voters.

Unfortunately, a number of women with promising plans failed to get enough votes. Despite their defeat, these young women thanked the Project for the knowledge and experience they gained, which will be of use to them in the future.

Zarema Urdolotova: "I did not win at the elections, but I became a real leader thanks to the School of Leadership for Women. It was a very useful experience in terms of interacting with the local community, listening to people's voices and being able to show myself, my knowledge and abilities as a true leader. At the moment I am involved in different events and local initiatives. Thanks to my active work, I hope that in 4 years I will be ready to take part in the next local elections".

Leadership School for Women Candidates to Local Councils was organized in the framework of the Public Service Improvement Project, funded by the Swiss Government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by Helvetas and Development Policy Institute.