Bahrain: First woman to nominate herself for parliamentary elections
Bahrain, Politics, 9/14/2002

Faeza al-Zayyani, the first woman candidate for the parliamentary elections in Bahrain , which will be held on October 24, said on Friday that she is confident she will win.

Al-Zayyani added that she is ready to compete. She said "I know that women failed in the municipality elections, but the parliamentary elections is another matter."

Through this election, the first parliamentary council will be elected in Bahrain in three decades when the government desolved the parliament in 1973.

All women candidates failed in the municipality elections which took place in May this year, and was the first time women candidates were allowed to participation in seeking political office.

Al-Zayyani said "I hope that every man and woman will have confidence in women candidates." She explained that "The woman in Islam was given the right to take part in the political life and that she ( the woman) took part in the Jihad and in the political discussions. Women candidates failed in the municipality elections due to the force of the religious societies. Women themselves did not have self confidence and the belief in woman's ability to carry out such a mission."

Earlier al-Zayyani, in her fifties and married, had the post of the social affairs department at the ministry of social affairs and labor. She retired early from her post in order to join the political domain.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Ayam Bahrain: News of a nearby ministerial reshuffle   (9/10/2002)
  King of Bahrain urges societies not to boycott elections   (9/9/2002)
  Bahrain: those who boycott elections are the loosers   (9/5/2002)
  Nomination for Bahrain parliamentary elections, three women take part   (9/2/2002)
  Bahrain: large participation in complementary municipal elections   (5/17/2002)
  Bahrain elections: women need to build on their newly gained rights   (5/11/2002)

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