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Kuwaiti women to vote in local elections

The Kuwaiti parliament voted on Tuesday in favor of a reform in the election law, allowing women to vote and be elected in the local elections, reports the Kuwaiti daily Al-Watan.

Twenty-six out of forty-nine MPs who were present at Tuesday’s session voted in favor of the reform, while twenty voted against it, and three abstained.

“This is a beginning towards their achieving of full political rights,” said Prime Minister Sheikh ‘Sabah Al-Ahmad after the vote. “This is democracy, and we gained the majority of the MPs. Now we anticipate the major step, which will – God willing – pass the same way this step did,” added the prime minister.

‘Sabah was talking about the government’s intention to try passing another reform, which would allow Kuwaiti women to be able to vote and be elected in the next parliamentary elections in 2007.

Answering questions at a press conference following the vote, ‘Sabah said that once the reform is fully achieved, there will also be a female minister in the government.

Similar attempts to reform the election law have failed in the past. The last time was in 1999, when a small majority made up of conservative Islamists and tribal groups managed to turn down the bill.