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Elections

The right to vote and the right to stand for election are two fundamental elements of democracy. Notably, many countries did not afford women the right to vote until the 20th Century. Even today, universal suffrage is not a given right in all countries, and women often face obstacles that undermine their participation in political and electoral processes. There are various ways to support women in overcoming these obstacles. Such methods include revising the electoral system used, applying affirmative action mechanisms such as quotas, improving voter education for women and training political candidates. These are a few of the modes available to strengthen women’s political participation .Photo©Jens Franssen

The decision to run: uncovering the barriers and motivators for LGBTQ women running for office

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January 14, 2022

The decision to run: uncovering the barriers and motivators for LGBTQ women running for office

LGBTQ Victory Institute’s The Decision to Run Report set out to uncover the barriers and motivators for LGBTQ women who want to run for office.

LGBTQ Victory Institute’s The Decision to Run Report set out to uncover the barriers and motivators for LGBTQ women who want to run for office.

Primera ministra de Barbados, Mia Mottley, en la XVI Conferencia Raúl Prebisch en Ginebra, Suiza, 10 de septiembre de 2019. Foto en Flickr de Timothy Sullivan, UNCTAD (CC BY-SA 2.0).
January 14, 2022
Barbados prime minister calls a snap election, the first poll for the island as a republic

For the first time in the island’s history, women leaders will take Barbados’ two major political parties into the arena as the island prepares for a snap general election.

January 13, 2022
How did Somaliland end up with zero female MPs?

Over 30 years since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, the Republic of Somaliland has established itself as a paragon of stability in a tough neighbourhood.

January 13, 2022
Indian UP assembly election 2022: Congress releases first list of 125 candidates, 50 of them women

Congress' Uttar Pradesh in-charge and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been leading the charge in the state.

January 11, 2022
Elections in India, one polling station in each constituency to be handled by women

The Election Commission, on Saturday, mandated that one polling station in each constituency should be managed by women in the upcoming Assembly Elections. This is introduced in a bid to facilitate increased participation of women in the election process.

January 10, 2022
Domestic burden biggest hurdle to women's political participation in Indonesia

Domestic responsibilities and social constructs are the biggest hurdles to improving women's participation in politics, a researcher at the University of Indonesia's Politics Review Center (Puskapol UI), Beni Telaumbanua, has said.

January 10, 2022
More women MPs needed in the Parliament of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one of only five countries in the world that have no female members of Parliament (alongside Yemen, Qatar, Micronesia, Vanuatu) and is below the global average of 23% female representation in Parliament.

January 10, 2022
Zimbabwe: Violent politics deters women from standing as candidates in elections

Zimbabwe is scheduled to hold elections in 18 months’ time, but women are reluctant to have their faces appear on ballot papers.

December 31, 2021
Kenya: Turkana women defy culture to vie for top positions next year

Women in Turkana County have been locked out of political leadership for many years due to culture.