Local Government

What are the issues?

On October 11, Mongolians head to the polls for nationwide local elections. This latest round of elections, which follows the country’s June parliamentary elections, features more than 17,000 candidates competing for more than 8,000 seats across a vast expanse of territory roughly the size of western Europe. Available seats include sub-national, provincial, and soum (county) Citizen Representative Khural (local governing councils).

In a historic turn of events for Jammu and Kashmir's political landscape, three women, including former minister Sakeena Masood, have emerged victorious in the latest Assembly elections, reaffirming the growing influence of female leaders in a traditionally male-dominated arena.

New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday named two women ministers to his Cabinet, down from five in the outgoing administration.

Women are poorly represented in politics and business in Japan, and the world's fourth-largest economy has never had a woman prime minister.

Japan ranked 118 among 146 nations in the 2024 World Economic Forum's gender equity rankings, up from 125th but still the lowest among Group of Seven nations.

MEXICO CITY — Mexico inaugurated its first female president on Tuesday, reaching the milestone before its northern neighbor. Even if the United States elects Kamala Harris as president in November, it will lag well behind this traditionally macho country on broader gender parity.

Harini Amarasuriya was officially sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister on Tuesday, marking a historic moment as she becomes the first woman to hold the office since Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 2000.

The ceremony took place in the capital, Colombo, where the 54-year-old leader of the National People’s Power (NPP) took her oath of office administered by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Dissanayake also appointed a new cabinet of four members, including himself.

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and Transnet CEO Michelle Phillips will be critical in changing the direction of South Africa’s economy.

Transnet’s inefficiencies have seriously inhibited growth in South Africa, with manufacturers, miners, and farmers struggling to move their goods.

In 2023, South Africa recorded historically low coal and iron-ore exports due to logistics troubles, specifically rail.