Kiribati

Kiribati is a small island state with a population of approximately 100,000 people. The Kiribati legislature has 46 members - 44 elected representatives, plus two appointed members (1 from the Banaban community and the Attorney General). There are 7 single member electorates, 11 two-member districts, and 5 three-member districts. Kiribati uses electoral system whereby two rounds of voting are undertaken. In single member districts, if no candidate secures 50% of the vote, there is a second round run-off between the top two candidates. In multi-member electorates, voters may cast votes for up to the full number of vacant seats available. To be elected, candidates in multi-member electorates need 25% or more of the vote. If a second round of votes is needed, then the candidate with the highest number of votes wins.

Kiribati has a small but growing number of women MPs. In the 2007 elections, three women were elected, and of these three, Hon Teima Onorio was selected as Vice President of Kiribati. In the 2011 elections, all three incumbent women MPs won their seats, plus one more woman candidate was elected. Of these four women MPs, Hon Teima Onorio continued as Vice President, and Hon Maere Tekanene was selected as Minister of Education.