Additional information about gender quotas

In 2013, the Vanuatu Parliament passed a historic amendment to the Municipalities Act, providing for reserved seats for women in the municipal councils. The quota provision is regarded as a ‘special temporary measure’ and will be implemented for the first time in the Port Vila Municipal Council elections scheduled to take place in December 2013. The Port Vila Municipal Council has 14 seats, 13 of which are currently occupied by male councillors. In the forthcoming elections, five seats will be reserved for women candidates who will be elected from a separate ballot. A female candidate can either contest a reserved seat or a general seat in a ward.

12 % of councillors elected were women, after the 2017 March provincial elections. "Following the 2017 provincial elctions, there was one elected female councillor plus six appointed by the Department of Local Authorities to represent women in each provincial council. For the Municipal councils, 11 women were elected through the reserved seats arrangement"(Commonwealth Local Government Forum).