PARLIAMENT GIVES NOD TO WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001600 SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARPI - BERNS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KWMN KU WOMEN POLITICAL RIGHTS SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT GIVES NOD TO WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL; STATUS OF UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE UNCLEAR REF: KUWAIT 1401 ¶1. The National Assembly gave preliminary approval April 19 to a municipality law amendment giving Kuwaiti women the right to run for, vote in, and be appointed to the Municipal Council. The measure passed 26 to 20 with three abstentions. A second round of voting is expected to take place in two weeks, followed by promulgation by the Amir. (Note: Normally, legislation requires a majority vote of two-thirds for passage. For some cases, Parliament can require a special majority and procedures. Post is examining the conditions set for this particular amendment. End note.) ¶2. The Municipal Council meets weekly to address neighborhood issues such as streets, schools, zoning, and other technical issues. The 16-member body, which falls under the authority of the Deputy Premier and Minister of State for Cabinet and National Assembly Affairs, has no budget or contracting authority. There was no action on proposed legislation to extend universal suffrage to women for National Assembly elections. ¶3. Comment: Whether Parliament's actions regarding Municipal Council elections would have a positive or negative impact on the fate of the GOK proposal to grant women full voting and office-holding rights remains undetermined. Some long-time activists are concerned that granting this partial right would lead undecided MPs to lose the sense of urgency about full political participation for women and opponents to further stall decisive action on the GOK legislation. LEBARON