WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS 118. Mauritius is committed to the decision taken by the Southern African Development Community to increase women’s participation in politics and decision-making by 30%. In both the National Assembly and the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, Lady-Speakers preside the sessions. 119. Concerning Rodrigues Island, amendments were brought to the Rodrigues Regional Assembly Act, through the Rodrigues Regional Assembly (Amendment) Act 2016. Concurrently, an amendment was brought to the Constitution to make provision for a minimum number of candidates for election to the Rodrigues Regional Assembly to be of a particular sex, with a view to ensuring adequate representation of each sex in the Rodrigues Regional Assembly. In the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, there are 3 elected woman members (out of a total of 17 seats). 120. In Mauritius, as regards municipal elections, the Local Government Act was amended in 2015 to provide for every group representing more than 2 candidates at an election of a Municipal City or Town Council, to ensure that not more than two thirds of the group’s candidates for election to that council are of the same sex, without necessarily each group forming part of the alliance necessarily complying with that paragraph. Out of 726 candidates who stood for election, there were 127 women, as compared to 58 only in 2010. With regard to the National Assembly Elections 2014, on Nomination Day, 739 candidates deposited their nomination papers in the 21 constituencies whereby 128 were women candidates. 8 women candidates were elected as members of the National Assembly. 121. In 2015, in addition to the amendments to increase the participation of women in local elections, the First Schedule to the Local Government Act was amended to provide for the number of Councillors for the Municipal City Council of Port-Louis. This was raised from 24 to 32. The Second Schedule to the Local Government Act was also amended to provide for the number of Councillors for Municipal Town Councils. The figures are 24 for the towns of Beau-Bassin-Rose Hill and Vacoas-Phoenix and 20 for the Town Councils of Curepipe and Quatre-Bornes. Table 24: Representation of women in Decision-Making Instances as at April 2019 Grade Number Ministers 2 out of 22 (9.1%) Members of Parliament 8 out of 69 (11.6%) Senior Chief Executive 2 out of 8 (25.0 %) Permanent Secretary 12 out of 35 (34.3%) Deputy Permanent Secretary 43 out of 79 (54.4%) Assistant Permanent Secretary 78 out of 129 (60.5%) Source: PMO Website 81