Local Government

The Congress party on Saturday released its first list of 86 candidates in Punjab. Out of the total, Congress has decided to field only nine women candidates in the upcoming polls.

Ahead of the upcoming Punjab assembly elections, Congress on Saturday issued its first list of candidates on 86 seats. The list includes nine women candidates, four former ministers and two AAP rebels.

Communities across NSW can look forward to better, more representative local government following a dramatic rise in the number of women elected to councils, the sector's peak body said. MidCoast Council has four female councillors including one new councillors.

These include Claire Pontin, Katheryn Smith, Kathryn Bell, and Dheera Smith. Local Government NSW (LGNSW) president Darriea Turley said women now make up 39.5 per cent of all councillors in NSW - an 8.5 per cent jump on the proportion of women elected in 2016/17.

A politician has called for an end to the insults that women receive on social media when they enter the political spotlight.

Kahina Bouhassane received a deluge of abuse on social media when she stood as the Green Party’s candidate for Sussex police and crime commissioner. The 23-year-old deputy chair of Brighton and Hove Green Party decided to speak out about the comments as she wants to more women to take part in political life.

As the Columbia City Council begins its first full week of business in the new year, it also marks the start of the tenures for two history-making women. Dr. Aditi Bussells and Tina Herbert, who were sworn in last week, are the second and third women of color to represent the city on council.

Tameika Isaac Devine, who held an at-large seat since 2002 and left office last week, was the first.

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.

The announcement was a part of the all-important press conference held by Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra where he asked the political parties to hold virtual rallies, keeping in mind the rapid surge of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Women in Turkana County have been locked out of political leadership for many years due to culture. According to the Turkana culture, leadership is for men, and this has disadvantaged many aspiring women leaders, as they are seen as incapable of taking over from men.

Jane Apetet, who is contesting the Senate race, told The Standard that they have been oppressed by the culture. “Our culture is not giving women strength and voice. Normally we are separated from men during community meetings,” she said.