Manama: A Bahraini woman has won a seat in parliament for the first time after a deadline for candidates to contest upcoming polls in one constituency closed with only one female contender, state news agency BNA said.
The law in Bahrain, a small island state in the Gulf which is due to hold municipal and parliamentary elections on November 25, says unopposed candidates automatically win a seat, the BNA report said.
Bahraini women failed to win seats in the 2002 legislative vote after being allowed to take part for the first time in national elections as part of democratic reforms. Women gained the right to vote in 2002 as part of the reforms.
Later six women were appointed to the upper chamber of parliament, the consultative Shura Council.
''As the first lady to win a seat in an election, it's a great moment for all ladies in Bahrain. It's good to create new culture, new habits, to see a lady serve her country working with men,'' new MP Latifa Al Gaoud told Reuters.
Gaoud, director of human and financial resources at Bahrain's finance ministry, had unsuccessfully contested the 2002 polls. Her new constituency is one of Bahrain's sparsely populated outlying islands and a small village on the mainland.
Gaoud says she aims to focus on improving employment and housing in Bahrain when the new parliament is sworn in.
Women have struggled to find a political voice in the Gulf, a relatively conservative male-dominated Muslim region. Qatar became the first Gulf Arab country to name a female minister in 2003 and most countries have since followed suit.
Comments
0 comment