Chilean presidential candidate for the ruling party Evelyn Matthei was the target of her competitors’ criticism during a televised debate in which she brushed aside hopefuls’ aspirations arguing that it was obvious that the race was between her and Michelle Bachelet, who did not participate.

The debate caused a storm in Chilean politics, with Matthei crossing accusations with independent candidate Franco Parisi and Bachelet saying that “debates are for presenting serious proposals and not just any proposal.”

With Janet Yellen slated to become the next chair of the Federal Reserve, the nation is abuzz with the implications of her historic nomination. But while Yellen is the 28th woman Obama has chosen for an executive role, the percentage of women entering top political positions is still disproportionate to the percentage of women in the country. This is abundantly clear during election season. Though 2012 saw a record number of women elected as public officials, few women make it to the ballot in the first place. Why?

On Tuesday, September 17, the 

Hazel Brown, co-ordinator of the Network of NGOs for the advancement of women, hopes after the October 21 local government elections that 50 per cent of councillors will be women as well as 50 per cent of aldermen elected under the newly-implemented proportional representation. Brown made the announcement yesterday at a news conference at the Professional Centre, Fitzblackman Drive, Port-of-Spain.

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, on Tuesday urged more Nigerian women to vie for elective positions in 2015.

Dame Jonathan said this in Owerri in a message to the inauguration of Coordinators of Women for Change and Development Initiative (W4CDI) ,  her pet project.

The First Lady was represented by Dr Rabi Ibrahim, the National Coordinator of W4CDI.

We invite you to read the full article published September 17, 2013