Political Parties Must Balance Equality, Inclusivity in Leadership Elections
For truly inclusive decision-making structures, parties should moderate equality of opportunity and embrace equality of outcomes through affirmative action.
LILONGWE, Malawi-Liberal democracy typically emphasizes "equality of opportunity." In democratic party conventions, this means all eligible members can collect nomination forms and contest positions, writes Henry Chingaipe.
Women and men, people of different tribes, regions and generations have equal opportunity.
However, they have varying capacities to leverage this opportunity.
Studies show that liberal democracy's "equal opportunity" principle often breeds inequalities. While it sounds democratic, it doesn't deliver inclusive outcomes.
Disadvantaged groups face social, political and institutional barriers. When they break through, they're often few and may lack influence in decision-making.
Democratic inclusivity in party structures, especially in contexts where tribes, regions, gender, age and religion can be exclusionary factors, requires focusing on "equality of outcomes."
This approach, while illiberal, remains democratic. It ensures representation from all regions, tribes, generations and genders in decision-making bodies.
Achieving this inclusivity won't come from conventions based solely on equality of opportunity.
Political parties must embrace equality of outcomes through competitive affirmative action measures. The options are numerous.
The regional, gender and generational imbalances in the 2024 MCP convention reflect an electoral framework based on equality of opportunity.
Similar results may occur in the upcoming Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) convention without inclusivity measures in their electoral rules.
For truly inclusive decision-making structures, parties should moderate equality of opportunity and embrace equality of outcomes through affirmative action.