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There have been 10 women in the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since the independence of Papua New Guinea in 1975.[1]
| Name | Period of service |
|---|---|
| Nahau Rooney | 1977-1987 |
| Waliyato Clowes | 1977-1982 |
| Dame Josephine Abaijah | 1972-1982, 1997-2002 |
| Dame Carol Kidu | 1997-2012 |
| Delilah Gore | 2012-2017 |
| Loujaya Kouza | 2012-2017 |
| Julie Soso | 2012-2017 |
| Rufina Peter | 2022- |
| Kessy Sawang | 2022- |
| Francesca Semoso | 2023- |
As of 1 February 2019, Papua New Guinea was one of only three countries in the world out of 235 that had no women in its legislative branch or parliament.[2] In the 2017 national election, 165 women ran for parliament out of a total of 3,000 candidates, or five percent. No women were elected, including the three female incumbents.[3] However, in the July 2022 national election, for 118 members of parliament, two were elected.[4] In October 2023, a further woman, Francesca Semoso, was elected to represent North Bougainville in a by-election.[5]