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Politics

Number of Women Lawmakers Shrinks by Nearly Half in Africa’s Biggest Democracy

  • Nigeria generally has low female representation in politics
  • Cultural and religious bias a barrier for women in politics
Nigerian lawyers hold up the national flag in Abuja.

Nigerian lawyers hold up the national flag in Abuja.

Photographer: Sodiq Adelakun/AFP/Getty Images

The number of female lawmakers in Nigeria’s parliament will fall by nearly half when legislators are sworn-in in early June. 

With 92% of results announced from elections held Feb. 25, only 13 women have won seats in Nigeria’s 469-seat parliament, according to a list published by the country’s electoral commission. That’s down from 21 women in the current legislature, which already had the lowest female representation in Africa. The number is unlikely to change much when all the results are unveiled because men dominate the contest for the outstanding 39 seats.