WUNRN
SOLOMON ISLANDS DROPS FEMALE MP
PARLIAMENT PROPOSAL
The government in the Solomon Islands has dropped a proposal to reserve seats in the national parliament for women in next year's general election.
The government says it does not have enough support to pass the measure in its current form.
It was meant to give women 10 seats in the parliament, which has had only one female MP in its 31-year history since the nation's independence.
Ethel Sigimanu with the women's ministry says the government's decision is not surprising.
"We had expected some concerns or criticisms raised," she said.
"There have also been a lot of media outbursts on the proposal being undemocratic, and so we were expecting a response along those lines."
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