Parliaments and Representatives

WOMEN’s Affairs minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, yesterday bemoaned the imbalance between men and women in politics saying this undermined the principles of democracy and social justice.

Mutsvangwa, who was opening the 5th edition of the Women in Local Government Forum congress, said the decline in women's participation showed that Zimbabwe remained a patriarchal society.

Six years after Sigrid Kaag was catapulted into the highest ranks of Dutch politics, police keep a constant watch over her home. Cameras sweep across the back of the property while every piece of mail sent to her is screened before she can open it.

The Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, issued on Wednesday a royal decree appointing members of the State Council, the second legislative chamber. The council consists of 86 members, including 18 women.

The Sultan also issued a decree appointing 14 members, including three women, to the Omani Human Rights Commission.

The Shura Council elections in the Sultanate of Oman witnessed a significant change in the representatives of the Council for the tenth term, while women suffered a resounding loss, as no female candidate was able to win membership in the 90-member Council.

The active involvement of Omani women in political life has witnessed a significant upsurge, particularly in their enthusiastic participation in the election of members for the tenth term of the Majlis Al Shura.

In the election for the tenth term of the Majlis Al Shura, scheduled for Sunday, a notable 738 candidates are vying for seats, of whom 31 are women.

On 21 September, Indian legislators passed the first legislation considered in the country’s new Parliament building: the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023. The bill, which passed both houses of Parliament almost unanimously—with just two votes against—will ensure that women occupy at least 33 per cent of the seats in state legislative assemblies and the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament.

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference senior leader and Women's wing State President Shameema Firdous on Friday said that political accountability to women begins with increasing the number of women in decision-making positions. She said the party has been a pioneer in that direction.