Gloria Julia King | |
---|---|
Member of the Parliament of Vanuatu | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office October 13, 2022 | |
Constituency | Efate |
Personal details | |
Political party | Union of Moderate Parties |
Gloria Julia King is a footballer, businesswoman, and politician in Vanuatu. In 2022, she was elected to the Parliament of Vanuatu. She is only the sixth woman in the country to become a member of Parliament.
Biography
Gloria Julia King is Ni-Vanuatu from the Vanuatuan islet of Mele. She is a former member of the Vanuatu women's national football team and represented Vanuatu at the 2003 South Pacific Games. She has since served as a football coach and manager, and as the chef de mission for the Vanuatuan delegation at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Also a businesswoman, she runs a company selling kava, a popular and ritually important beverage.
King first became involved in politics when she joined efforts to establish a village water system in Mele.
In the 2022 Vanuatuan general election, she ran for a seat in the rural Efate constituency as a candidate from the Union of Moderate Parties. Her campaign included a commitment to improve opportunities for women in business. She was elected with 1,618 votes, becoming only the sixth woman to become a member of Parliament in Vanuatu, and the first in 14 years.
King currently serves as the only woman in the 52-member Parliament, and she was the first woman to hold the position of third deputy speaker, a position she lost during the 2023 political shakeup.
References
- Morris, Doddy (2022-11-01). "I Am Representing All Women in Parliament: King". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ Keck, Madeleine (2022-10-26). "Vanuatu Elects Gloria Julia King to Parliament, First Woman MP in 14 Years". Global Citizen. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ Collins, Jessica (2023-08-24). "Pacific Change Makers - Vanuatu MP Gloria Julia King on women, sport, and politics". Lowy Institute. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "Women's football invites all to first game". Vanuatu Daily Post. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- Tiriman, Caroline (2023-01-01). "How a trip to Birmingham inspired Vanuatu's Gloria Julia King to run for office". ABC Pacific. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "Times have changed, says Vanuatu's first woman MP in 14 years". France 24. 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- Roy, Eleanor Ainge; Jong, Eleanor de (2017-11-23). "Vanuatu leads push to make narcotic drink kava a worldwide favourite". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- Roberts, Anita (2022-10-18). "UMP secures three seats on Efate Rural". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- Anthony, Kelvin (2023-08-23). "Vanuatu MP hopes political impasse can be resolved to kick-start recovery". RNZ. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- Kalsakau, Kizzy (2022-11-04). "Another Glass Ceiling Shattered by King". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- Kalsakau, Kizzy (2022-11-04). "VNCW Applauds First Female Third Deputy Speaker". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- "'Kava time' change of govt took ni-Vanuatu by surprise, says academic". Vanuatu Daily Post. 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-11-16.