Vanuatu: Election Results May Impact Women's Representation
The Facts
Vanuatu's snap election results suggest that another coalition government will form, with former Deputy Prime Minister (PM) Jotham Napat's Leaders Party securing up to nine members of parliament, positioning him as a potential coalition leader.
The election also resulted in incumbent female lawmaker Julia King losing her seat, leaving Marie Louis Milne as the only remaining female candidate in contention for the 52-seat parliament.
The election featured only seven women among 217 candidates, a decrease from 18 in 2020. Several high-profile incumbents, including four-time prime minister Sato Kilman, are likely to lose their seats based on unofficial counts.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Starting from childhood, girls face gender discrimination that restricts their education in Vanuatu and limits opportunities for public service. Cultural norms also favor boys, leading to higher dropout rates among girls, while early marriage and domestic duties further limit their opportunities. These factors place women in a perpetuated state of dependency and violence, issues that will hopefully be solved through organization and activism.
Establishment-critical narrative
The absence of female lawmakers in Vanuatu's Parliament highlights local resistance to foreign interference in gender politics. Campaigns like 'Vot Woman' have sparked debate, but the backlash against gender quotas underscores a desire for solutions that resonate with local customs, not imported agendas. Both men and women in Vanuatu are capable of navigating these changes internally without Western powers intervening. Appropriate cultural context is key to understanding this issue.