Elections

Last Sunday’s elections in Mexico resulted in gender parity in the Parliament: with almost all the results counted, there are 246 women (48.6%) and 254 men (51.2%) in the Chamber of Deputies and 65 women (50.78%) and 63 men (49.22%) in the Senate. A provisional IPU calculation shows that Mexico has moved up from 9th to 4th place in the world ranking of women in parliament.

At a McAlister's Deli, tucked in one of the miles of strip malls that line Manchester Road among the shoulder-to-shoulder suburbs of west St. Louis County, Helen McCauley and her daughter Sara didn't hesitate when asked recently about the coming political season.

"I don't always vote the midterm elections, but this time I definitely will," said Helen, whose politics lean left, with a focus on women's issues.

Statewide, females make up 38 percent of candidates this year, compared to 32 percent in the prior election cycle.

More women in Hawaii are running for office in 2018 than in the last election cycle two years ago, following a nationwide trend.

In Hawaii, 125 women are candidates for local, state and federal offices this year, compared to 93 candidates on the 2016 primary ballot, according to the state Office of Elections.

Women’s rights groups in Malaysia have called on Pakatan Harapan to fulfil its promise of minimum 30% representation at the highest policy-making body in Malaysia. PM Tun Mahathir’s cabinet, however, only has nine women: five full ministers (see below) and four deputy ministers. The deputy ministers include Hannah Yeoh (Women, Family and Community Development), Teo Nie Ching (Education), Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Energy, Green Technology, Science and Climate Change) and Fuziah Salleh (Prime Minister’s Department/Islamic Affairs).

The 2018 midterm elections are shaping up to be a watershed year for women and politics. Not only are a record number of women running for political office in 2018, but many of them are running campaigns that tout the underrepresentation of women in an effort to galvanize the women’s vote. MJ Hegar, an Air Force veteran and young mother running for Congress in Texas as a Democrat, said that “women are sick of” male elected leaders promising to protect women’s rights.

Souad Abderrahim is from Tunisia's moderate Islamic party, which advocates for separating politics from religion.

TUNIS, Tunisia — A woman from Tunisia's moderate Islamic party was elected on Tuesday as mayor of the capital city, Tunis, the first time a woman holds the post.

The 56-year-old had served as environmental secretary under Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador when he was mayor. With Obrador confirmed as winner of the presidential election, it's the first time the two roles have been taken by members of the same party.

In 2014, Sheinbaum left the left-wing Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) and joined Lopez Obrador’s Moreno Party.