Gloria Julia King | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Parliament of Vanuatu | |
| In office October 13, 2022 –February 11, 2025 | |
| 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,where she served until 2025. She was only the sixth woman in the country to become a member of Parliament.
Gloria Julia King is Ni-Vanuatu from the Vanuatuan islet of Mele. [1] She is a former member of the Vanuatu women's national football team and represented Vanuatu at the 2003 South Pacific Games. [2] [3] [4] 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. [3] [4] [5] Also a businesswoman,she runs a company selling kava,a popular and ritually important beverage. [6] [7]
King first became involved in politics when she joined efforts to establish a village water system in Mele. [2]
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. [2] [3] [6] [8] Her campaign included a commitment to improve opportunities for women in business. [2] [6] 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. [2] [3] [6] [9]
King served 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. [3] [10] [11] [12] [13] In the 2025 Vanuatuan general election,she failed to win re-election. [14]