The NGO-Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) has described as a cause for concern the low number of women who are participating in the 30 March By-election.

Only five are contesting in the parliamentary elections for Karonga North West, Ntchisi North, Lilongwe Msinja South and Karonga North West constituencies.

The women will be competing against 21 men, a development which NGO-GCN executive director Barbra Banda said should make organizations re-strategize on how best women can be supported to fully take part in elections.

“This is below par, we are at 20 percent which is below 40% threshold which is our minimum and it’s a cause for worry,” she said.

Banda went on to say that there are a lot of challenges that women face when they want to participate in politics, issues of intraparty politics which do not provide a level playing ground for women.

“All along our supporting system has been around tripartite elections anything out of it we have found that even our partners are not ready to support us,” she said