Fiji

The Fiji Women's Rights Movement acknowledged women candidates, young women voters, the elderly and those living with disability who were part of the election on Wednesday.

The organisation congratulated all the candidates on their individual success particularly the 44 women candidates contesting under the six political party banners as well as independent candidate.

To read the full article published on September 19th 2014, please click here.

Lawyers, entrepreneurs, academics and civil servants are some of the female candidates standing in Fiji's upcoming elections. Fijians will vote on 17 September, the first elections since the 2006 military coup.

PARLIAMENT needs to reflect the society it represents, says Fiji Women's Rights Movement's executive director Virisila Buadromo.

Explaining why it was important to support temporary special measures for women in Parliament, she said: "It is not about giving women special privileges but it is about narrowing the gap and addressing the historical discrimination women have faced in politics."

Advocates for women in Fiji say they are still hoping for special measures mandating women’s representation in parliament.

Fiji’s new constitution does not contain temporary special measures for women, a mechanism some countries use to speed up progress towards gender equality.

But a spokesperson for the Fiji Women’s Forum, Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, says there is still time for this to happen as the state has an end of year deadline to make changes to the constitution.

A young Fijian woman who intends to stand in the Fiji elections says she has received threats, including threats of rape, on social media.

Roshika Deo is standing as an independent candidate in next year's promised elections.

Ms Deo who has been using the internet as a campaigning tool, has told Pacific Beat she's been the subject of vicious personal attacks.

WITH more countries around the world voting in female prime ministers, Fiji's women are also being encouraged to add a female face to the words "Prime Minister".

Such a change will obviously be accompanied by numerous challenges, explained Minister for Women Dr Jiko Luveni, who said women were important agents of change.

"They have the ability to make effective leaders that serve the people as parliamentarians and should run for the elections next year," Dr Luveni said.