Kuwaiti government calls on parliament to give women political rights
Kuwait, Politics, 2/21/2005

The Kuwaiti government called on the Kuwaiti Ummah ( nation) council to allocate a special session to consider granting women "full political rights."

The Kuwaiti minister of social affairs and labor, Faisal al-Hajji, said in statements to the Kuwaiti news agency that the government is serious about approving this decision as soon as possible, adding that this matter was discussed during the government's weekly meeting.

Al-Hajji added that "democracy will be complete when it has two wings, man and woman," noting that social issues should not be an impediment to offering the woman her political right, noting simultaneously that there are Islamic Gulf states where women practice such rights.

In May 2004, the Kuwaiti government sent another law to the parliament the amendment the articles of the election laws so as to permit women to be held equal with men in implementing political rights. No time was set to discuss this issue.

Tens of Kuwaiti parliamentarians proposed to submit the same article of the elections law to the constitutional court to discuss this matter, although the constitutional court had rejected in 2003 a case filed by two Kuwaiti activists to provide women political rights.

In order to be approved, the law needs a small majority of 49 parliamentarians and 16 ministers. One of the ministers is also a parliament member. This law is expected to be opposed by 13 Islamists parliamentarians and certain tribal chiefs.

Worthy mentioning that the ruler of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah issues a decree in 1999 offering women the right to vote but the 50-member parliament and the Islamist and tribal parliamentarians opposed and failed this decree in November of the same year.

Worthy mentioning that the next legislative elections will be held in 2007 and some 140,000 eligible voters will cast their votes out of the country's total population of 956,000.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Rai al-Am: Kuwait: Minister of the interior denies al-Anzi death because of torture   (2/11/2005)
  Islamic group accuses Kuwaiti of killing al-Anzi   (2/10/2005)
  Kuwait: women voting issue gains supporters   (10/29/2004)
  Amir of Kuwait opens Ummah council session: political rights for the woman; economic reforms   (10/27/2004)
  Kuwait: Islamists parliamentarians threaten to spoil giving the women her political rights   (5/18/2004)

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