ELECTIONS 2022/Female local government representation in Taiwan grows

Taipei, Jan. 7 (CNA) Female representation on Taiwan’s city and county councils increased slightly following November 2022 local elections, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

According to a DGBAS report, 901 out of 3,048 local public representatives elected in the Nov. 26 elections were female, accounting for 29.6 percent of officials, a 2.1 percentage point increase compared with four years ago.

Women performed particularly well in city council elections in Taiwan’s six special municipalities, winning 39.8 percent of seats, DGBAS said.

Those special municipalities are Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung.

Across the country, 12 cities and counties saw over 30 percent of elected officials being women, with Taipei reporting the highest woman representation, or 49.2 percent.

Other administrative areas that have the highest women representation are Hsinchu City, Tainan, New Taipei, and Keelung, while those with the fewest women elected were Yilan, Lienchiang, Yunlin, and Miaoli counties.

Meanwhile, the 2022 elections saw 1,373 female candidates, or 26.8 percent, which was also up 1.8 percentage points from 2018, according to the DGBAS.