This paper places women at the centre of analysis, examining the potential and promise of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) in the advancement of women’s political rights. This is a highly under-researched topic, necessitating a mapping of the current political landscape for women and an understanding of how ACDEG addresses these challenges as well as provides opportunities for advancing women’s political participation. This paper argues that ACDEG provides a good basis and framework to operate from for member states – some of whom already have suitable policies, and more importantly suitable practices, in place that emerge from a range of normative frameworks, including the Maputo Protocol. ACDEG complements these frameworks and makes a further case for women’s full and meaningful participation in public and private life by obligating states to take concrete steps to guarantee women’s political rights. Considering this, the paper identifies prospects for women’s rights activists and organisations to invoke ACDEG and monitor its implementation in the move towards the realisation of African women’s political rights.

中文翻译：

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促进非洲妇女的政治权利：ACDEG 的前景和潜力

本文将妇女置于分析的中心，考察《非洲民主、选举和治理宪章》(ACDEG) 在促进妇女政治权利方面的潜力和前景。这是一个研究不足的主题，需要绘制当前妇女的政治格局，并了解 ACDEG 如何应对这些挑战以及为促进妇女的政治参与提供机会。本文认为，ACDEG 为成员国提供了一个良好的运作基础和框架——其中一些国家已经制定了合适的政策，更重要的是合适的实践，这些做法来自一系列规范框架，包括马普托议定书。ACDEG 对这些框架进行了补充，并通过责成各国采取具体步骤来保障妇女的政治权利，为妇女充分和有意义地参与公共和私人生活提供了进一步的理由。考虑到这一点，本文确定了妇女权利活动家和组织在实现非洲妇女政治权利的过程中援引 ACDEG 并监督其实施的前景。