Kessy Sawang, a former senior civil servant, emerged as a Papua New Guinean (PNG) politician in August 2022. Prior to her elections, PNG was among three countries worldwide without female representation in parliament. In the year 2017 national elections, Sawang initially vied for the Raikos Open seat but finished third. She highlighed the challenges face by women in politics, includinf cultural norms, male dominance and financial constraints. In 2022 elections, Sawang ran again and defeated the incumbent with 10,888 votes, prioritizing initiatives such as providing menstrual pads to schoolgirls. Papua New Guinea employs a preferential voting system , where votes are redistributed until a candidate secures over half of the votes. Sawang’s victory was confirmed after lengthy counting process, making her one of only two women elected out of 118 contested seats.