Political Leadership in Papua New Guinea: Three Women Parliamentarians Defeated in the 2017 Election: Part Two

Abstract

This is the second In Brief in a two-part series. Part 1 detailed the circumstances surrounding the unsuccessful re-election of three women members of parliament (MPs) in Papua New Guinea (PNG). In this second part I analyse the case studies and reach three findings: the women’s attempts to consolidate power in their province during their first term were unsuccessful; the importance of provincial assemblies in national politics should not be underestimated; and the rules of big-man1 politics seem likely to apply to women MPs.