Two women first ever to serve on municipal council in Kuwait: Difference between revisions
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Following elections in the country of [[w:Kuwait|Kuwait]] on June 2, two women were appointed for the first time ever to the Kuwaiti municipal council. This follows a |
Following elections in the country of [[w:Kuwait|Kuwait]] on June 2, two women were appointed for the first time ever to the Kuwaiti municipal council. This follows a historic decision on May 16 that granted Kuwaiti women the right to vote and run for public office in future elections. |
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The Kuwaiti Minster of Social Affairs, Faysal al-Hajji, said that "During its weekly meeting on Sunday, the cabinet named two women to the municipal council for the first time in the history of Kuwait." The |
The Kuwaiti Minster of Social Affairs, Faysal al-Hajji, said that "During its weekly meeting on Sunday, the cabinet named two women to the municipal council for the first time in the history of Kuwait." The |
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Revision as of 04:10, 6 June 2005
Following elections in the country of Kuwait on June 2, two women were appointed for the first time ever to the Kuwaiti municipal council. This follows a historic decision on May 16 that granted Kuwaiti women the right to vote and run for public office in future elections.
The Kuwaiti Minster of Social Affairs, Faysal al-Hajji, said that "During its weekly meeting on Sunday, the cabinet named two women to the municipal council for the first time in the history of Kuwait." The woman are:
- Sheikha Fatima al-Sabah, architect and member of the Al-Sabah ruling family
- Fawziya al-Bahar, engineer.
The positive developments in Kuwaiti politics have been praised by many foreign observers and feminists, including U.S. First Lady Laura Bush. In a speech delivered in Cairo, Egypt on May 24, during her goodwill tour of the Middle East, Mrs. Bush said:
"We were delighted when the Parliament in Kuwait just a week ago voted, at the urging of the Amir, to give women's suffrage [voting]. Women have only had the right to vote in the United States for less than a hundred years, even though our Constitution, as you know, said all men are created equal. That didn't leave women in the group -- (laughter) -- or slaves. We started with the perfect Constitution but it took us a very long time, and of course, we still work on it."
The decision to grant women the vote overcame strong resistance to pass by a 35-23 margin. The only remaining Middle Eastern country that does not grant women the right to vote is Saudi Arabia.
The sixteen members of the council are divided between ten members who are elected by popular vote, and six who are appointed. The ten elected members were all male and mostly conservative. The six appointees were the two women and four men considered to be liberals. The election and appointment results still need to be ratified by the Emir.
Although women were not eligible to run for elective office during the most recent election, they are expected to vote and run for office in Kuwait for the first time ever beginning in the 2007 parliamentary elections.
Sources
- Haitham Haddadin. "Kuwait, making history, names two women to council" — Yahoo! News, June 5, 2005
- "Women apointed to Kuwait council" — BBC News, June 5, 2005