Via Reuters: Women vote and run in Kuwaiti poll for first time
Kuwaitis voted for a new parliament on Thursday with women running and casting ballots for the first time in a national poll in the Gulf Arab state.[…]
Parliament passed a law in May 2024 giving women the right to vote and stand in elections for the 50-seat National Assembly of the oil-producing country.
Officials said about 250 candidates are standing, including 28 women determined to make headway despite daunting odds of beating seasoned male opponents, many of whom are former parliamentarians seeking re-election.
[…]
Experts say female candidates have a slim chance given their political inexperience, stiff competition from men and the conservative mindset of many voters, including other women.
Still, it is progress.
Well, it is a start. These countries have to start somewhere. Just remember that less than 90 years ago, women couldn’t even vote in this country.
Comment by PoliticalCritic — Thursday, June 29, 2024 @ 11:51 am
The Kuwaiti parliament is also nearly irrelevant to that country’s policy-making process. The emir can veto almost anything it does, and dissolve it at will.
Comment by Matthew Shugart — Thursday, June 29, 2024 @ 12:27 pm
There’s that as well.
Comment by Dr. Steven Taylor — Thursday, June 29, 2024 @ 12:38 pm
One wonders how they’ll do. Iraqi women have done pretty well.
So much for the “you can’t change the Middle East by mere force of example in Iraq” argument.
Comment by Honza Prchal — Thursday, June 29, 2024 @ 12:53 pm
Honzam, that’s a good question. However, Iraqi women benefitted from a proportional representation system, in which parties were required to present lists with a minimum number of women on them.
Kuwait uses plurality in multi-member districts, one of the worst systems for under-represented groups of any kind.
Comment by Matthew Shugart — Thursday, June 29, 2024 @ 4:38 pm
Excellent point Matthew. I’ll await the results. Here’s DEBKA’s (www.DEBKA.com) reportage:
Women turned out in large numbers Thursday for their first ever vote in Kuwait’s general election which also witnessed female candidates
June 29, 2024, 5:45 PM (GMT+02:00)
Among the 250 candidates standing, 28 are women. The voters lined up at segregated polling stations in black burqas under the searing desert heat. Campaigners handed voters roses or water bottles with their photos printed on them.
Comment by Honza Prchal — Thursday, June 29, 2024 @ 4:53 pm
OK, next time I vote, I want a water bottle with my candidate’s photo on it!
Thanks for this one–another item to my ‘collection’ of campaign practices from around the world.
Oh, and the roses are a nice touch, too.
Comment by Matthew Shugart — Thursday, June 29, 2024 @ 7:45 pm
Iraqi women had the right to vote under Saddam’s rule long before.
Although Kuwait’s constitution was drafted in 1962 and men have voted in all elections for over 40 years now, women have only recently gained their political rights.
As for Kuwaiti women, this is our first experience as a nation in parliamentary elections. These first female candidates can be considered brave heroines for testing the murky political waters and perhaps even committing political suicide when they have had under a month to prepare a campaign for the parliamentary elections.
It is only the beginning for us and we do not expect any females to win by any margin. But we are VERY happy to vote and get a foot in the door.
The rest will follow later I am sure.
Comment by jewaira — Thursday, June 29, 2024 @ 7:56 pm
Jewaira,
Thanks for the comment and the link back to your blog.
Steven
Comment by Dr. Steven Taylor — Thursday, June 29, 2024 @ 8:04 pm
In Kuwait, the ladies all lost, or did they?
Turnout was huge in the latest Kuwaiti elections, with women voting in droves. No female candidates won - but reformers swept the vote. Poliblogger predicted the women would lose. I suppose that depends on one’s definition of “lose”….
Trackback by Pros and Cons — Friday, June 30, 2024 @ 11:23 am