KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - ELECTION DAY AND WOMEN

UNCLAS KUWAIT 002598 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, NEA/PI, INR/NESA, R/MR, I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN LONDON FOR TSOU PARIS FOR ZEYA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO KDEM PGOV KU MEDIA REACTION SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - ELECTION DAY AND WOMEN Block Quotes -------------- Thursday, June 29, 2006 -- Commentary on the front page of progressive Arabic daily Al-Qabas under the title "You, the Box, and the Country" (6/29): "When you stand before the ballot box today, remember that you stand alone. No husband to scare you, no brother to terrify you, and no son to advise you; just you and the box. It is you, the box, and the country; that is how we wanted it. We wanted it direct and without introductions to our sisters, mothers, or daughters who will vote today.... The vote is yours and the decision is yours. Let your decision be for the future of your sons, for those who will inherit your production, for those to whom your rights will be passed on, and for those who will carry your hopes and aspirations tomorrow." -- Moderate Arabic daily Al-Watan staff editorialized on its front page under the title "The Decision is Yours" (6/29): "Today, the electoral battle ends and a new political era begins. Some will return to the National Assembly and some will leave.... No matter what the results, whether they are what the voter wanted or not, we should respect them. We should leave the dirt of the last era behind us and wash with the waters of democracy today. We wish everyone success in serving our country." -- Columnist and academic Dr. Mohamed Hussein Al-Yousef penned in the pro-government Arabic daily Al-Seyassah under the title "Kuwaiti Elections Day" (6/29): "Today will be a long day for Kuwaiti men and women. They will test their freewill. It will be a long day to the fullest meaning of the word as its hours contain seconds and minutes of a combined effort to shape the future and launch Kuwaiti society towards building a modern state where citizens are their own masters." -- Moderate Arabic daily Al-Anbaa's staff stated on its front page under the title "For Kuwait" (6/29): "We must praise Kuwaiti female candidates who know in advance that they will not collect enough votes to put them in Parliament. Their candidacy is clear evidence of their courage and belief in Kuwait's right to have them run for office today. Their candidacy is the beginning of their paths towards becoming representatives in the future." -- Ahmed Mohamed Al-Kandari held in the moderate Arabic daily Al-Rai Al-Aam under the title "Today Women will Succeed in Eliminating Female Candidates" (6/29) that: "Women who demanded their suffrage will be surprised that the majority of her sisters refused their efforts at the ballot box and voted for men. They will succumb to instinct and the failure of female candidates in these elections will have many ramifications. Their failure will take them from the bottom to below the surface and it will be at the hands of women voters." ********************************************* * 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