FREEDOM AGENDA: FEMALE CANDIDATE RUNNER-UP IN

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001196 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM KWMN KU FREEDOM AGENDA WOMEN'S POLITICAL RIGHTS SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: FEMALE CANDIDATE RUNNER-UP IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL BY-ELECTION; TURNOUT LOW REF: A. KUWAIT 1176 ¶B. KUWAIT 1077 ¶1. (U) Jenan Bushehri, one of two female candidates in the April 4 Municipal Council by-election, came in second behind Yousef Al-Suwaileh, a Sunni candidate representing the Al-Awazem tribe. (Note: The Municipal Council has national jurisdiction over land allocation, zoning, and public and health safety. End note.) Bushehri received 1,808 votes compared to 5,414 for Al-Suwaileh. Voter turnout was low: only 10,646 (38%) of the district's 28,000 eligible voters cast ballots in the election. Among women the figure was even lower with only 4,724 (29%) of the 16,433 women registered in the district actually voting. According to the Arabic-daily Al-Qabas, 74% of women voted for male candidates. Polling occurred without incident, and there were no reports of harassment of female voters. Despite the low turnout, the vote was hailed as an historic moment as women exercised their political rights for the first time since Parliament approved women's suffrage legislation in May ¶2005. ¶2. (SBU) The Al-Awazem, estimated to be 9,000 strong in the district, were sharply criticized for holding a pre-election primary to choose one candidate to represent the tribe and increase the likelihood of an Al-Awazem winning. Although "unofficial" elections are prohibited, the Government did not prevent the primary or censure the tribe afterwards. Some Shi'a in the district unsuccessfully called for a similar Shi'a primary. In the end, six Shi'a candidates, including both female candidates, ran in the election, splitting the district's estimated 9,000-14,000 Shi'a voters between them. As in parliamentary elections, many voters in this election voted along tribal and sectarian lines. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: Women's participation in this election, both as candidates and voters, was highly publicized and broke many conservative taboos. As runner-up, Bushehri is attracting as much attention as the winner, if not more, and her second place finish is being lauded as a considerable achievement. Many women are proud of her accomplishment, which they hope other female candidates can match or exceed in the 2007 parliamentary elections by drawing on lessons learned from Bushehri's experience. As the low turnout indicated, however, there are still obstacles to women capitalizing on their newly acquired political rights, including voter apathy, conservative social attitudes, and voting based on familial, tribal, and/or sectarian affiliations. End comment. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * TUELLER