On Kuwait's women's rights for participating in the elections
Kuwait, Politics, 7/8/2003

It is presumed that Kuwait has been prepared more than any time ago to recognize the political rights of the Kuwaiti women.

Following the parliamentary elections which took place on Saturday, observers believe that the political map in the new Ummah council ( parliament) indicates that the coming government enjoys a base of support, and therefore it has to seize the opportunity to debate a draft project, holding all the Kuwaiti citizens equal, politically.

When hundreds of Kuwaiti women headed for the press union on Saturday to select what the constitution does not permit of parliamentarians at the parliament, the Kuwaiti women had violated several taboos. These women elected candidates from the liberal trend, many of these candidates failed in the "purely male elections." This, however, means that women do not prefer the candidates of the Islamic and tribal trends who stood against the decree issued by the Amir of Kuwait in 1999, offering women the rights to be a candidate and to vote.

Despite the symbolic nature of the women voting process, which was held in parallel with the official elections of the 10th parliament, in which participation was limited to men, however, just organizing the event, reflect women's preparedness to proceed forward in the fight of extracting their political rights. Rights which have been blocked by many impediments. One of these is shouldered by women themselves. The women's elections day showed that only 909 women took part in the electoral process in a country where half of its voters presumed to be women. While the number of female voters is estimated at 137,000.

A woman activist, member at the elections committee said that the tribal trend, in general is the most hostile to women's move and others in the Sunni Islamic trend and these are for various political and social intentions, whereas the Shiite trend is more supportive to women.

One women voter at the press elections said Is it wise that I accompany my maid from Sri Lanka to her country's embassy in Kuwait to cast her vote in Sri Lanka's elections.. While I do not?

Previous Stories:
  On the Kuwaiti parliamentary elections   (7/7/2003)
  Kuwaiti government desolved   (7/7/2003)
  Kuwaitis head today for ballot centers to cast their votes   (7/5/2003)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search