Natasha Asghar MS is encouraging as many women as possible to put themselves forward for election as part of this year’s #AskHerToStand campaign.
Today (Nov 21) marks 50:50 Parliament’s #AskHerToStand Day and the anniversary of the passing of the 1918 Qualification of the Women’s Act.
The aim of the campaign is to get more women to throw their hat into the ring for elections and attain 50:50 gender balanced representation on elected bodies throughout the UK by 2030.
Natasha Asghar MS, who became the first woman of colour to be elected to the Welsh Parliament, said:
“Not a single day goes by that I am not humbled by the fact the people of South East Wales put their faith in me to represent them in the Welsh Parliament and helped me make history by becoming the first woman of colour in the Senedd.
“With women making up 43% of the Welsh Parliament, we have already made great strides when it comes to equality in Wales but of course we could always do more.
“Being a politician is an incredibly demanding but unbelievably rewarding job, and I’d encourage any woman interested in entering the political arena to take the plunge and stand for election.
“I will always fly the flag for true diversity, but sadly Labour ministers in Cardiff Bay are hellbent on introducing artificial gender quotas which will simply stifle the entire concept of diversity.
“Politicians should be elected to office based on their calibre and merit, not because they stick the right boxes or meet some fake quota.
“An equal number of women means better democracy, policy, and representation so please consider standing in elections.”
For more information about the #AskHerToStand campaign visit https://5050parliament.co.uk/sign-up-to-stand/
