Elections

Kamala Harris savoured the moment she became the first woman, and the first black and Asian American, to be vice-president-elect, with a very hearty laugh.

In a video posted to her social media she shares the news with President-Elect Joe Biden: "We did it, we did it Joe. You're going to be the next president of the United States!"

Her words are about him but the history of the moment is hers.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was sworn in for a second term Friday, as final election results showed her landslide victory was even bigger than previously thought.

The charismatic leader and her ministers made their oaths of office in English and Maori during a ceremony at Wellington's Government House.

"I would say simply that sitting at this table is Aotearoa New Zealand," Ardern said, gesturing to her gathered team, in which women and Maori are strongly represented.

Women make up more than half of Africa's population, but their representation in politics in the past decade has been insignificant.

With a numerical significance of 52 percent against their male counterparts, women are least likely to hold political positions and exercise authority across the continent. They are also the majority of voters, but sadly they are not represented in politics and governance despite their calls for inclusion over the years.

What then could be the reason for this mismatch between numbers and political representation?

Mauree Turner won her race for Oklahoma state House for District 88 on Tuesday, becoming the first nonbinary state legislator in US history and first Muslim lawmaker in Oklahoma.

Turner, 27, defeated Republican candidate Kelly Barlean to represent the district, winning about 71% of the votes, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board unofficial results. Her victory comes after beating incumbent Rep. Jason Dunnington in the district's Democratic primary election in June.

At least 131 women are set to serve in the U.S. Congress in 2021, according to the Center for American Women and Politics, a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. The count surpasses the previous record of 127 women, first set in 2019. So far, the tally includes 100 Democrats and 31 Republicans. 29 women candidates remain—19 Democrats and 10 Republicans—in uncalled races.