Kuwaiti female suffrage
Encyclopedia
On May 17, 2005, the Kuwait
i parliament granted female suffrage
. The bill, which passed with 35 votes for and 23 against, allowed women to vote for the first time and run in parliamentary and local elections.
On May 3, 2005, MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaie
helped create a constitutional roadblock that effectively killed a measure that would have allowed women to participate in city council elections for the first time. The new law which would give Kuwaiti women the right to vote was initially by the National Assembly
on April 19, but in accordance with the Kuwaiti constitution
it faced a second vote for ratification on May 2. Parliament ended in deadlock on May 2 when 29 members abstained and only 29 voted for it, leaving the legislation just shy of the 33 votes needed.
Efforts to resume voting on the measure on May 3 failed when opponents argued that it had already been rejected and that any new vote would therefore be unconstitutional. In a surprise move, the prime minister
, Sheik Sabah al-Jaber al-Sabah
, shelved the issue for two more weeks. Because the elections were called under the existing law, women were barred from participating in the imminent municipal elections even if the measure ultimately passed.
Al-Tabtabai argued, "We have no problem with women voting, but we do have a problem with women standing for elections. Islam dictates that the head of the nation must be a man, and we are technically the head of the nation here."
Jawhar supported Kuwaiti women's right to vote, saying "By relating to Islam I can see -- and I also consulted a lot of experts in this regard -- that there is no contradiction between the women's vote and our Islamic values."
Four years later, in May 2009, four female candidates won parliamentary seats in a general election
.
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
i parliament granted female suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
. The bill, which passed with 35 votes for and 23 against, allowed women to vote for the first time and run in parliamentary and local elections.
On May 3, 2005, MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaie
Waleed Al-Tabtabaie
Waleed AlـTabtabaie is a member of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, representing the third district. Born in 1964-4-4, Al-Tabtabaie obtained a PhD in Islamic studies from Al-Azhar and was an assistant professor at Kuwait University before being elected to the National Assembly in 1996...
helped create a constitutional roadblock that effectively killed a measure that would have allowed women to participate in city council elections for the first time. The new law which would give Kuwaiti women the right to vote was initially by the National Assembly
National Assembly of Kuwait
The National Assembly of Kuwait, known as the Majlis Al-Umma , is the legislature of Kuwait. The current speaker of the Assembly is Jassem Al-Kharafi. The Emir unconstitutionally dissolved the National Assembly in 1986 and restored it after the Gulf War in 1992...
on April 19, but in accordance with the Kuwaiti constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
it faced a second vote for ratification on May 2. Parliament ended in deadlock on May 2 when 29 members abstained and only 29 voted for it, leaving the legislation just shy of the 33 votes needed.
Efforts to resume voting on the measure on May 3 failed when opponents argued that it had already been rejected and that any new vote would therefore be unconstitutional. In a surprise move, the prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, Sheik Sabah al-Jaber al-Sabah
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Sheikh Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is the Emir of Kuwait. Sheikh Sabah was sworn in on January 29, 2006 after confirmation by the National Assembly of Kuwait. He is the fourth son of Emir Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Sheikh Sabah is the head of the ruling Al-Sabah family...
, shelved the issue for two more weeks. Because the elections were called under the existing law, women were barred from participating in the imminent municipal elections even if the measure ultimately passed.
Al-Tabtabai argued, "We have no problem with women voting, but we do have a problem with women standing for elections. Islam dictates that the head of the nation must be a man, and we are technically the head of the nation here."
Jawhar supported Kuwaiti women's right to vote, saying "By relating to Islam I can see -- and I also consulted a lot of experts in this regard -- that there is no contradiction between the women's vote and our Islamic values."
Four years later, in May 2009, four female candidates won parliamentary seats in a general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
.