During the campaign for local elections in the West Bank, many female candidates’ faces were replaced by a rose or a silhouette on voter lists and campaign posters.

About 65% of eligible voters turned out for the first round of voting on December 11. The second round, which will take place on March 26, will determine the composition of 66 local councils for large municipalities.

Just over ten years ago, IPU Member Parliaments adopted a landmark resolution on youth participation to encourage the rejuvenation of parliaments. Since then, parliaments from around the world have made some limited progress in its implementation. However, the level of youth representation in parliament, as measured regularly by the IPU, remains low. Half the world’s population is under 30 and yet only 2.6% of MPs globally represent this age group.

A week ahead of what may be Honduras’s most consequential election since the country’s return to democracy in 1982, the leading opposition candidate for president delivered her final address to an audience of fervent supporters.

“Today we are united as an opposition to say enough! Enough of so much theft, corruption and drug trafficking,” said Xiomara Castro, 62, as she addressed the crowd in Tegucigalpa on Sunday. “Enough suffering for the Honduran people.”

Jaha Dukureh was a young mother of three with little campaigning experience when she started a movement in the Gambia to end female genital mutilation, backed by the Guardian.

New York City’s legislative branch will be packed with newcomers in 2022 and will have its first female majority. Meanwhile, the GOP gained at least one more Council seat.