See Her Elected, an initiative aimed at getting more women from rural Ireland into politics, has said the impending general election is a "golden opportunity" to increase female participation in local councils.
New research and analysis of recent local election results - carried out by See Her Elected - found a significant electoral advantage for sitting councillors, regardless of gender.
Its analysis found that in the 2024 local elections, 85% of sitting candidates were re-elected, securing 72% of council seats.
This success rate was consistent across genders, with 86% of female incumbents and 88% of male incumbents being re-elected. This suggests that voters prioritise incumbency over gender when making their choices.
The research found 68% of co-opted councillors who ran were successfully elected, significantly outperforming new candidates with a 19% success rate.
Read here the full article published by RTE on 27 October 2024.
Image by RTE
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