Dubai, July 05: With the fair sex still deprived of their right to contest and vote in an election by rightwing Islamists, Kuwait today went to polls for electing 50 representatives to a new all-male Parliament. The elections, in which some 250 candidates have filed nominations, are the first after the war in Iraq. The polls have generated considerable interest in the region though they are not expected to bring in any fundamental changes.
Despite Kuwait being a pioneer in constitutional democracy in the Gulf Arab region, the country's women struggle for the right to vote and contest with only men above the age of 21 allowed to vote. The elections law bars the women to do so despite persistent calls by some political blocs and a decree by the Amir, issued during the dissolution of 1996 Parliament. The Amir's decree was rejected by Parliament, which was dominated by Islamist and tribal MPs at that time. A recent survey shows almost two thirds of the 246 candidates contesting in the elections oppose women political rights, a report in a newspaper said.
As a mark of protest, hundreds of women turned out to vote in a mock election in the hope that their symbolic action would help secure their future political rights. Women from all age groups were seen coming to the makeshift booth set up at the Kuwait Journalists' Association. Meanwhile, first Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah has stressed the government "has taken all necessary measures to hold the free elections in a honest, fair and competitive atmosphere." Kuwait has a population of 8.5 lakh but only 137,000 voters. Military personnel are also prohibited from participating in the elections. Bureau Report