In the small island nation of Vanuatu, a recent election produced the most gender balanced governing body in the history of the country.  

Voters in Vanuatu's Sanma Province made history in November 2023 by electing the most diverse council ever seen in the country. With a record-breaking 29% of candidates being women, the polls delivered a near balanced result, with six female and seven male councilors winning seats.

This progress extends beyond gender representation. Patricia Rose Packete, who secured a Reserved Seat in the Western Ward, will not only represent women's interests but also be a voice for people with disabilities.

The Municipalities (Amendment) Act No. 11 of 2013 of Vanuatu was passed in 2014 and instituted the first rollout of Temporary Special Measures (TSMs), where each ward has one Reserved Seat for a woman in both municipalities of Vanuatu.  

Since the passage of the TSMs, a slow but gradual increase of women has been contesting in municipal elections.  This trend is expected to continue. The Vanuatu Electoral Office and Electoral Commission proposed the Electoral Act that was passed by the Parliament of Vanuatu in December 2023, ensuring that TSMs will become permanent, with reserved seats at the municipal level for women.  

The Vanuatu Electoral Office (VEO), with support from UNDP’s Vanuatu Electoral Environment Project (VEEP), has launched an overarching inclusion campaign.  The “Liftemap Fiuja” Strategy targets nine areas as a holistic approach to increasing diverse political representation in Vanuatu, all areas where Councillor Packete worked to gain her political footing.

Custom
Culture
Chiefs
Churches
Curriculum
Civic Education
Community
Consultation
Coordination

Community, Churches, Civic Education

Councillor Packete, born on the island of Pentecost and married to a man from the community of BP Bon on Santo Island, has a long history of public service.  Volunteering with various organizations, including being Clerk for her church, Secretary for the local disability organization, and community liaison on the Community Disaster and Climate Change Committee, Councillor Pakete gained the knowledge and skills to have a full career as a civil servant. Her Civil Service career began as a Plant Quarantine Officer leading her to government political posts and finally to work as Secretary for the Speaker of Parliament in 2010.

Coordination, Consultation

After her time working at the National Parliament, she returned home to the rural community of BP Bon where she bore witness to the disconnect between service delivery and community needs.  She stated that she “saw service delivery was not up to a good standard because the government wasn’t able to liaise well with communities where the services were delivered. Many services stop at the councils and were not meeting the people on the ground.”

This inspired her to begin the coordination and consultation roles in her community.

“We [politicians] don’t work only for the people who voted for us. We vote for the whole community. And we work for all future generations. And I believe if we work for the future generations, we will see the change.”
-    Patricia Rose Packete

Her advice to other women interested in politics:

“You have to walk the talk and have an action mentality,” meaning that women need to prove themselves first before standing for election.  She canvassed and learned from her communities long before contesting in any elections, working to lift perspectives and improve the lives of those most vulnerable.  She advised that women work for at least four years in community service before running for political office.

Custom, Culture, Chiefs

As Vanuatu has some of the lowest female political representation in the world, Councillor Packete recognizes the need to work within traditional (or customary) governance systems to gain political endorsement, receiving support from local Chiefs, church leaders and a political party for her candidacy.  She began working for the Leaders Party in 2016, eventually becoming Chairlady of the local chapter. She finally received endorsement her for her contest in 2023, seven years later.  

Councillor Packete is one example of many women who have used a systematic approach to win political elections in Vanuatu. With other models such as Gloria Julia King (MP), who became the first female Member to be elected to Vanuatu’s Parliament in 14 years, women interested in contesting elections now have a roadmap to political victory.

Whilst the Luganville Municipal Council is the most gender balanced governing body in Vanuatu’s history, there are avenues to increase diverse representation on other elected bodies as well through the “Liftemap Fiuja” strategy.