Elections

A record 136 women were elected to sit in the Sejm – Poland’s more powerful lower house of parliament – at Sunday’s elections. That means 29.6% of the chamber’s 460 members will now be female, above the global average of 24.3% but below the EU-wide figure of 32.7%.

At the same time, however, the number of women in the 100-seat Senate – the weaker upper chamber – fell from 24 to 17.

Click here to read the full article published by the Notes from Poland on 19 October 2023.

One of the widest smiles at the front of the National Party’s first group photo belonged to 32-year-old Katie Nimon, the new MP for Napier who not only took the seat from the Labour Party, but is the first woman to hold it.

The achievement is a testament to the fact people can succeed in politics regardless of their background, she said. “I have been myself this entire time.”

Click here to read the full article published by Stuff on 19 October 2023.

As the general elections in Pakistan edge closer, the persistent issue of low participation of female voters has continued to impede the democratic process. The numerical disparities over the past decade sketch an alarming picture. While general elections have maintained an average overall turnout of 50%, the female turnout alone has plateaued at an unsettling 40%.

Click here to read the full article published by The Express Tribune on 18 October 2023.

Independent states in the Pacific region have the lowest levels of women’s political representation in the world. Fewer than 7% of Pacific politicians are women, compared with 27% globally. The absence of women’s voices in political decision-making has been consistently raised in regional forums, although progress has been slow. Yet, in November 2022, a milestone was reached: for the first time, there was at least one elected woman in every Pacific parliament.

Click here to read the full article published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on 17 October 2023.