Success for Kuwaiti Suffrage

After 20 years of struggle for the right to political participation, Kuwaiti women have finally been granted the right to vote and stand for election. On May 16 by a vote of 35-23, with one abstention, the Kuwaiti Parliament amended the election law to allow Kuwait women to vote and run for office in local and parliamentary elections. Members of the Parliament opposed to granting women suffrage had often cited religious and social reasons for their opposition. This fundamentalist faction succeeded in including a requirement in the new law that specifically calls for women political candidates to abide by Islamic Law. The implications of such a requiremnet is not yet clear.

Congratulations are in order to the women of Kuwait. Cheers girls.