Rwanda has broken its current world record of 64 per cent female representation in Parliament, setting a new one of 67.5 per cent.

Out of 80 seats, women now occupy 54 seats, a new world record for female representation in Parliament globally.

The new record came out on Tuesday night after the National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced the September Parliamentary elections results, which saw President Kagame’s Party, RPF sweeping 74 per cent of the total votes and taking 40 seats, according to a NEC release.

Female representation in Nepal's parliament has increased dramatically in the last 10 years. It’s the result of a far-reaching gender quota system in the Himalayan nation that has made the country’s Constitution one of the most politically progressive in Asia. But women politicians and rights advocates say that true equality remains a long way off.

A women’s rights group will today, 9 June, launch a €35,000 crowdfunding plan to help female candidates in future elections after accusing the Government of failing to do enough to address the issue.

The Women for Election group says the public money is needed just 24 hours after Dáil Ceann Comhairle Sean O’Fearghail publicly backed local election gender quotas as a “pragmatic” step that must be taken.

The Elections Commission and political parties have agreed to introduce a quota to increase the number of women in leadership posts.

The low participation of women in politics was among the issues discussed at a forum held Monday night to propose changes to the Political Party Act.

Representatives of political parties supported a mandatory 30 percent quota for women in organs such as executive councils, according to media reports.

The Republic of Guinea adopted on 2 May, a Law on Parity that says women must make fifty per cent of the candidate lists for elective positions. Article 2 of the Law, which was adopted by a unanimous vote, stipulates that: "Parity applies to any list of candidates for national and local elections, as well as for the holding of elective offices in public institutions".

Legal experts have voiced fears that gender quota proposals aimed at increasing female participation in Parliament are nothing but a “smokescreen” to introduce political party funding by the State “by stealth”.

The proposals, which were presented by Parliamentary Secretary for Reform and Simplification of Administrative Processes, Julia Farrugia Portelli, in March, would see the female gender representation in Parliament increased to 40 per cent through the addition of 12 extra seats.