By Mike Puia
Gizo
FIVE females will be contesting in different wards during the Western provincial elections which is set to happen on June 13.
They will be contesting along 134 male candidates. All are vying for the 26 provincial seats. The current provincial house, which completed its final assembly meeting, will dissolve soon.
Returning Officer, Mr Hopeful Piosasa, confirmed the total number of candidates for the upcoming elections is 139 after withdrawal period closes on Wednesday.
The initial list was 144 candidates.
Among the 139 confirmed candidates are five females.
This paper understands the number of candidates contesting in this year’s provincial elections has slightly reduced.
In the 2014 provincial elections, about eight female contested. Only one, Jane Tozaka, was elected. Jane is the wife of a current Member of Parliament.
For this year’s elections, a female candidate was also one of the two candidates that were disqualified.
Like the other male candidate, her name was not in the voting list even though she claimed to have voted in the 2014 provincial elections.
Among the five female candidates are; a wife of a current Member of Parliament and a wife of a current Member of the Provincial Assembly.
One female candidate is re-contesting a seat she held once years back.
