Political Parties

One political hopeful in Antigua and Barbuda is commending the recently-elected Barbados government for its progress with the inclusion of women in politics, while urging the same for the twin island nation.

The second season of the reality TV show, Ms President, was launched yesterday. The show seeks to portray to a national audience the capacity and ability of women to lead effectively.

The series showcases intelligent and articulate women who are “presidential” with the aim of increasing the chances of women in Kenya taking up leadership positions.

Finland's county council elections were the first regional or municipality elections in the history of the country in which women won the majority of seats. In total, female candidates snapped up 53 percent of county councillor spots in the elections.

Women dominated the polls to the greatest extent in the Western Uusimaa municipality, where they accounted for 68.4 percent of elected candidates. Women also won over 60 percent of seats in the municipalities of Vantaa, Kerava and Central Uusimaa.

Political parties are all set for the upcoming elections in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is a very important demographic with 403 assembly seats. It has also become important to see the women representation among the leaders and the voters in the elections in this biggest state of India.

Mia Mottley, who shot to international fame during the Cop26 climate talks and oversaw Barbados’s break with the Queen last year, has won a second term as the Caribbean nation’s prime minister.

The 56-year-old’s Barbados Labour party (BLP) won all 30 seats, up from 29 in 2018, in an election marred by complaints that thousands of Covid-positive Bajans were denied a vote.

The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has called for more concerted actions toward better recognition of the contributions that women make in national development. 

According to a statement by her spokesman, Aliyu Abdullahi, Aisha said power-sharing arrangements must reflect women’s contributions both within political parties and in government.

Sharda Devi, the first woman state president of the ruling BJP in Manipur, wants the party to put up a sizeable number of women candidates for the Assembly elections

“There is 33 per cent reservation for women in local bodies and panchayats. A similar principle should be followed while allotting tickets to aspirants for the Assembly election. However, women candidates must be competent,” Sharda Devi said over the phone from Imphal.

Alexa McDonough, whose leadership of the Nova Scotia NDP in 1980 made her the first woman to lead a major political party in Canada, has died at the age of 77.

McDonough, who also became the leader of the federal New Democratic Party in 1995, died at a care home in Halifax on Saturday after a lengthy struggle with Alzheimer's disease, her family said.