Experiences of Female Candidates in the 2017 Papua New Guinea General Election

Experiences of Female Candidates in the 2017 Papua New Guinea General Election

Papua New Guinea went to the polls in June–July 2017 for its ninth general election since independence. Despite a record number of women standing — around five per cent of the total number of candidates — no women were elected in any of the 111 seats. This report draws on discussions from a debrief in Port Moresby in September 2017 with 26 women who contested the election. Participants had contested in all four regions of Papua New Guinea, so the debrief captured a variety of perspectives and experiences. This In Brief highlights some of the key themes that arose from these discussions.