Minorities and Indigenous Women

TOKYO - A record number of both women and LGBTQ candidates are campaigning to win over voters in the House of Councillors election on Sunday and potentially bring change to Japan's male-dominated political landscape.

While some advocates have hailed the unprecedented number of female and openly LGBTQ hopefuls, the candidates' policies will be put to the test as surveys have shown that issues such as rising prices and social security will likely be at the forefront of voter concerns.

Rachel Keke, who coordinated successful strike for better pay and conditions, takes on Macron’s former sports minister.

A hotel housekeeper who led a strike for better pay and conditions at one of the biggest hotels in Paris could become the first cleaner to be elected to the French parliament on Sunday, as a left alliance challenges Emmanuel Macron’s centrists.

When Colombians on Sunday elected their first leftist president ever, they also voted for their country’s first Black vice-president. Francia Marquez, a Black single mother who worked as a maid before challenging international mining interests as a fiery environmentalist, now becomes Colombia’s first Black female vice-president. Her victory marks a turning point in a country plagued by social inequalities and historically governed by conservative elites.   

All 151 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of the 76 Senate seats were up for reelection in the recent Australian parliament elections. The Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, beat the incumbent Liberal/National coalition government. According to preliminary results, the Labor Party is set to win 77 seats, giving it an absolute majority in the House.