Elections

Many feminists celebrated the incredible progress made in 2018 when more women were elected to Congress than ever before—but victories at the state level warranted commemoration, too.

Members of Portugal's new parliament took up office on Friday, among them the country's first black women lawmakers who campaigned on promises to fight racism and inequality.

The three women, who all trace their origins to Guinea-Bissau, an impoverished former Portuguese colony in west Africa, won office in the October 6 general election when Prime Minister Antonio Costa's Socialists were re-elected but without an absolute majority.

Monday’s federal election saw a new record – the most female Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons.

Global News counted a total of 98 women MPs that were elected across all parties, an increase of 10 from the 2015 election and seven from the 91 female-held seats at the time parliament dissolved.

Elected women also saw a general increase of representation in their respective parties.

Observers say female candidates systematically threatened with physical, sexual violence to deter them from running.

In a city where politicians are earnestly vying for women’s votes who account for 46 per cent of Mumbai’s population, female participation in electoral politics remains abysmally low.

Of the total 334 candidates who will be fighting in the 36 Assembly seats of Mumbai, only 31 candidates are women, or just 9.3 per cent. Only 21 of the 36 Mumbai constituencies have a woman candidate.

The Network of Arab Women in Elections was launched Saturday in Tunis as part of a joint initiative involving the Arab Organisation for Electoral Management Bodies (ArabEMBs), the UNDP Regional Electoral Support Project and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

The preliminary report on the observation of the elections, based on gender, conducted by the Tunisian Mediterranean Centre (TUNMED), called all the candidates to take into account the right of women voters in rural and border areas to take part in election campaigns, TUNMED Director Ahlem Nessiri said on Monday.