Guaranteed additional seats for women in assemblies approved by all provinces

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Women will now be given guaranteed additional seats in provincial assemblies after all nine provinces have approved a proposal to incorporate Temporary Special Measures (TSM) in the Provincial Government Act by next year.

Speaking in Parliament this week, Minister of Women Fred Rangirei Rotutafi confirmed that all nine provinces have approved and it would be brought the government next year and parliament later in 2025 to make it a law.

 Earlier this year, The Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) said it was committed to table the proposed amendment to the Provincial Government Amendment Bill (PGAB) 2018 that will establish temporary special measures (TSM) to guarantee additional seats for women in Provincial Assemblies.

Rotutafi recalled in Parliament that the former government of DCGA had agreed to the amendment, however, it will have to be brought back to GNUT next year for approval in Cabinet before it is tabled in Parliament.

The minister thanked the provincial governments and the organizations that supported the initiative including the National Council of Women.

Based on a government statement issued early this year before this year’s elections, since Independence, only six (6) women has ever been voted into Parliament. At Provincial Assembly Level only sixteen (16) women have ever been voted into Provincial Assemblies at different terms. The proposed TSM Amendment to the PGAB 2018 intends to address this historically underrepresentation and participation of women in Provincial Assemblies.

If passed this will apply to the next cycle of provincial government elections.