Counting is still underway following Papua New Guinea’s national elections, and there is still some hope that at least one woman might be elected to the country’s 118-seat parliament. At this point, Kessy Sawang may yet emerge as the winner in the Rai Coast electorate in Madang province. However, the overall picture is very disappointing. There were only 167 women out of more than 3000 candidates, and as its current term nears the end, PNG’s parliament is at the bottom of global rankings for female representation, with no women at all among its membership.
Things have been marginally better at some points in the past. Three women were elected in 2012, but Papua New Guineans have only sent seven women to their national parliament since the country achieved independence in 1975.
