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Denmark approves Greenlandic language use in Parliament amidst tensions

Denmark approves Greenlandic language use in Parliament amidst tensions Denmark approves Greenlandic language use in Parliament amidst tensions
Denmark's parliament has taken a significant step by approving the introduction of Greenlandic interpreters, a decision made following a controversial...
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Belgian Prime Minister calls for a new European migration pact during EU Presidency 2024

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European super-rich could contribute over €200 billion annually with wealth tax

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Italy warns of growing uncontrolled migration threatening Europe's future

Italy warns of growing uncontrolled migration threatening Europe's future   Italy warns of growing uncontrolled migration threatening Europe's future
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Polish opposition reveals 100-day policy agenda ahead of parliamentary elections

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Which EU candidate country is the most likely to join the bloc quickly?

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Timmermans advocates long-term vision and transparent, green governance

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Commemorating Salvador Allende: Belgium's exemplary role in sheltering thousands of Chileans

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Alarming surge in asylum applications across EU, Norway, and Switzerland in 2023

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Latest News

Denmark approves Greenlandic language use in Parliament amidst tensions

Denmark approves Greenlandic language use in Parliament amidst tensions Denmark approves Greenlandic language use in Parliament amidst tensions
Denmark's parliament has taken a significant step by approving the introduction of Greenlandic interpreters, a decision made following a controversial...
Read More...

Belgian Prime Minister calls for a new European migration pact during EU Presidency 2024

Belgian Prime Minister calls for a new European migration pact during EU Presidency 2024 Belgian Prime Minister calls for a new European migration pact during EU Presidency 2024
During his address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo expressed his intent to broker...
Read More...

European super-rich could contribute over €200 billion annually with wealth tax

European super-rich could contribute over €200 billion annually with wealth tax European super-rich could contribute over €200 billion annually with wealth tax
  In the wake of a widespread call for taxing extreme wealth in the name of tax justice at the G20 summit in New Delhi, which garnered...
Read More...

Italy warns of growing uncontrolled migration threatening Europe's future

Italy warns of growing uncontrolled migration threatening Europe's future   Italy warns of growing uncontrolled migration threatening Europe's future
Italy's hard-right Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has issued a stark warning about the escalating issue of uncontrolled migration across the...
Read More...

Polish opposition reveals 100-day policy agenda ahead of parliamentary elections

Polish opposition reveals 100-day policy agenda ahead of parliamentary elections Polish opposition reveals 100-day policy agenda ahead of parliamentary elections
The Civic Coalition (KO), Poland's primary opposition bloc, has unveiled a comprehensive set of 100 policies it intends to implement within...
Read More...

Which EU candidate country is the most likely to join the bloc quickly?

Which EU candidate country is the most likely to join the bloc quickly? Which EU candidate country is the most likely to join the bloc quickly?
The European Union (EU) has a well-established process for countries seeking membership, known as accession. While the journey to EU membership...
Read More...

Timmermans advocates long-term vision and transparent, green governance

Timmermans advocates long-term vision and transparent, green governance Timmermans advocates long-term vision and transparent, green governance
Frans Timmermans, the newly appointed leader of a left-wing coalition, has emphasized the need for a long-term vision to address issues such...
Read More...

Commemorating Salvador Allende: Belgium's exemplary role in sheltering thousands of Chileans

Commemorating Salvador Allende: Belgium's exemplary role in sheltering thousands of Chileans Commemorating Salvador Allende: Belgium's exemplary role in sheltering thousands of Chileans
Exactly half a century ago, in 1973, Augusto Pinochet orchestrated a coup d'état in Chile, abruptly ending the presidency of Salvador Allende....
Read More...

Alarming surge in asylum applications across EU, Norway, and Switzerland in 2023

Alarming surge in asylum applications across EU, Norway, and Switzerland in 2023 Alarming surge in asylum applications across EU, Norway, and Switzerland in 2023
In the first half of 2023, asylum applications in EU countries, Norway, and Switzerland have surged by nearly 30% compared to the previous...
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Fiji's recent election in December 2022 marked a milestone in the country's democratic journey, with a coalition government led by Sitiveni Rabuka, a former prime minister, coup

leader, and military commander, promising to get rid of controversial laws that restricted basic freedoms. However, the election also saw a significant decrease in women representatives, with the number of women in the Fiji Parliament dropping from ten out of 51 MPs (19.6%) to six out of 55 (10.9%). This decline in women's political representation has significant implications for Fiji's fragile democracy.

Despite concerted efforts to widen the space available for women in politics, the setback in women's representation has occurred. The women's movement in Fiji has ramped up its public advocacy campaigns to encourage more women to exercise their right to vote and run for office. The Fiji Women's Forum was established in 2012 by a coalition of women's organizations to promote the goal of increased women's political participation. Women are seemingly well-represented in senior party positions across Fiji's political landscape. However, women are still under-represented as parliamentarians, and part of the issue may lie with the electoral system.

Under Fiji's open-list proportional representation (PR) system, electors cast a vote for an individual candidate, and party candidates' personal vote shares are then pooled to determine the number of seats the party has won. In previous elections, a "coattails" effect has been observed, with women (and men) candidates coming into parliament on the back of a strong vote share by the party leader, despite small personal vote shares themselves. In 2022, the major party leaders - Bainimarama and Rabuka - dominated the vote share again, but this did not translate into access for women candidates. With a more fragmented result than previous elections and an increase in the number of parties winning seats in parliament, the opportunities for women appeared to decrease. This highlights the open-list PR system's lack of safeguards for gender diversity.

The decline in women's political representation highlights the enduring power of Fiji's masculinized political system - exemplified by the election itself, with the two major party leaders both male ex-military commanders and instigators of coups. In his inaugural speech, the Speaker of Fiji's Parliament highlighted the male dominance of Fiji's political sphere. There is urgent and important work to be done to increase the number of women standing for, and being elected to, parliament.

The decline in women's political representation suggests a democratic deficit that complicates the story of Fiji's 2022 election. Now that Fiji's coalition government has assumed office and is promising a new era of politics, ensuring that women's rights are fully integrated into the transitional institutions and reforms being implemented is more important than ever. Equal rights for women cannot be an afterthought but rather should be an integral component of these new beginnings. Photo by Fijiisparadise, Wikimedia commons.

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