Minorities and Indigenous Women

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.

Australia's new government will look more like its country, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has named a record 10 women to his incoming Cabinet. The high-profile appointments include Penny Wong as foreign minister, Claire O'Neil as home affairs and cyber security minister, and Katy Gallagher as finance minister.