Female candidates lose as women vote first time in Kuwait

Kuwait City, June 30 (UNI) All women candidates have lost the National Assembly election in Kuwait in which reformists scored spectacular victory in the 50-member house.

''All the 28 women candidates lost the elections and it may take another four years for them to entre the country's parliament.

However, the biggest consolation for them was, for the first time, women in the gulf country were given franchise rights and also permmission to run for the office,'' senior officials said.

Women candidates were contesting from 13 constituencies and ten from tribal seats. Even leading women right actvists like Fatima Al Abdali and Rula Dashti, who tirelessly worked for getting voting rights for women lost from their respective seats. Nabila Al Anjari, former senior official of the Kuwait Information Ministry, also lost in the election.

Director of the Kuwait Information Centre Mohammed Al Badah described yesterday's election as ''historic'' as it had given women their right to vote and run for the office. He said women would play an important role in decision making in future as female voters outnumber their male counterparts in 21 of 25 districts.

Mr Badah said more than 87 per cent voters cast their votes in the election. Thousands of women voters lined at scores of polling booths to stamp on the ballot.

However, the dismal performance of women in the elections have not damapened their spirit as they feel that they got very little time to prepare themselves for the elections, which were held one year ahead of schedule. The Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah dissolved the parliament in May last following crisis on electroal reforms.

Most of the women feel that future belongs to them . ''We have waited for years for this day'' women voters said at a polling station yesterday where they queued up to exercise their vote.

UNI XC SMA PR BD1907