The Hindu : International : Women throng Kuwaiti polling stations

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Friday, Jun 30, 2006

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Women throng Kuwaiti polling stations

Atul Aneja

Election attracts worldwide attention

DUBAI: For the first time, women have participated in parliamentary elections in the oil-rich Gulf state of Kuwait, which appears to be undergoing a rapid political transition.

Women thronged polling stations, which opened on Thursday morning, indicating a heavy turnout. After a hard fought battle with Islamist and conservative Members of Parliament, women earned the right to participate in elections in May 2005.

Stake in stability

Fifty Parliament seats are up for grabs and 28 women candidates are contesting the polls. Out of a total of 340,000 eligible voters, over half are women.

Kuwait's elections have attracted worldwide attention, partly because it shares common borders with Iraq and Iran and there is a stake in its stability.

Unlike most other Gulf states, the Parliament in Kuwait has real supervisory powers.

Although the Emir has the final word on most Government policies, Parliament plays a key role in the decision-making process, and can initiate legislation.

Parliament successfully voted out Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah on health grounds, after he was appointed successor to long-time ruler Emir Jaber al-Ahmad, who had died in January.

A cohesive group of lawmakers later demanded that they should be allowed to question the Prime Minister in Parliament over the issue of electoral reforms, which they were seeking.

"This was truly unprecedented in the modern history of any of the Gulf countries, because the Prime Minister is a member of the royal family," Mansoor al-Jamri, Editor-in-Chief of Bahrain's Alwasat newspaper told The Hindu.

A highly charged election campaign preceded the polls. Analysts point out that Kuwait's urban political elite, which includes liberals, Islamic groups, nationalists and independents, is presenting itself as a cohesive unit vis-à-vis tribal groups that have traditionally supported the Government.

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