“Women from rural areas need to break barriers to get access to education. All women, no matter where they come from, need to have such access; that’s why I’m running for office,” stated Makfire Musa, a training participant practicing her campaign pitch and public speaking skills at a recent training session. As Kosovo political parties and their candidates gear up for the upcoming local election cycle in October, women candidates are sharpening their skill sets and sharing experiences during training sessions provided by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), with USAID support.
From July 26 through August 4, women candidates participated in the first of a series of hybrid training programs for women candidates in the upcoming Kosovo local elections. Potential and announced local assembly candidates participated, with over 70 percent of participants running for the first time. During the training sessions, participants gained skills in profile building, campaign planning, and public speaking from international experts. Throughout the sessions, participants with experience in elected office shared advice with first-time candidates, such as never making promises they couldn't keep or promising employment. The women candidates come from a variety of professional backgrounds and bring with them expertise that can solve problems at the local level. Majlinda Agushi, a training participant, explained, “I work in the healthcare system and I'm aware of the obstacles patients and medical staffers face and how to solve them. I'm running for office to improve the healthcare system in the Municipality of Podujeva.”
NDI has already organized sessions for women candidates from Vetevendosje (VV), Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), and Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), with training planned for women candidates from non-majority communities and smaller political parties. The training sessions will be followed by topical webinars in September on violence against women in politics, disinformation, social media use in campaigning, and local governance for candidates from all political parties and communities. The training program seeks to increase the representation of Kosovo women at the local level and provide a stronger pathway for advancing the concerns of underrepresented communities in local decision making.
NDI Kosovo for USAIDKosovo