Speaker of Parliament and Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Qasim Ibrahim said that the amount of women in Parliament need to be expanded.

Qasim said this at a campaign event of Parliamentary hopeful of a JP ticket, Aishath Nazima. He noted that even if only for the purpose of showing gender equality on the international stage,it is imperative to ensure that both women and men receive the same respect and honor Qasim said that one of the questions posed frequently, while traveling abroad is regarding the number of women in Parliament of Maldives.

He said that while his response typically goes along the lines of about three to five members, it is time to bring a difference to these numbers. Qasim said that we need to make a conscious effort to recognize women that take part in elections and encourage Maldivian voters to recognize the disparity among women and men in Parliament.

The Speaker of Parliament said that numerous pieces of knowledge not known to men are understood by women. He said that women are the best source to recognize issues faced by women. Qasim reiterated that the person who faces the issue is who will understand the solution better. As such, he said that he encourages the support of women for the resolution of issues faced by social and economic issues as well as *umraani* matters and the development of sports. Qaim noted that he supports women’s work in Parliament and called for all women’s votes in support of the candidate Aishath Nazima.

The JP leader said that it is very apparent that women want to step forward in politics as well as at Parliament. He also said that women’s struggles and challenges will be best understood by a woman. Qazim noted that there is no other candidate in Aishath Nazima’s constituency that is capable of working as well as her.