Kuwait

Kuwaiti satellite channels have proven quite effective in advertising candidates' campaigns and agendas to a large segment of the Kuwaiti society, but this is at expense of turn-up at the electoral rallies. Media technological development played a major role, nowadays, in reaching out to a large segment of the public, whereas in the past, many candidates had to exert great personal efforts and hold direct contacts to host seminars and discussions to display their campaigns.

Women in the conservative Gulf state of Kuwait aim to make it third time lucky as they contest seats in parliament after two failed attempts in legislative elections.
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Academics agreed that the relative drop in performance of the former all-male parliament was likely to boost the chances of female candidates getting elected, found a study conducted by KUNA.Kuwait University's political science professor Dr. Abdulredha Asiri told KUNA that he expects many more males will be voting for women in this election round, and their choices will likely be more rational and realistic than before.
To view the full article, please visit the Kuwait Times website.

As May 16 draws near, hopes seems to be presiding the views of female voters. Even after the issuance of the recent fatwa forbidding voting for women, the supporters of the female a great majority still sees that change is only possible if women reach the Parliament. Kuwait Times conducted a survey to find out about the various views and reasons behind women's support in female candidates.
To read the full article please visit the Kuwait Times website.

Former MP and third district candidate Adel Al-Sarawi held a symposium for women at his diwaniya in Keifan on Sunday evening. He was a member of the parliament in 2003, 2006 and 2008.
To read the full article please visit the Kuwait Times website.

Two lecturers at Kuwait University agreed that women were the ones who mostly benefitted from media coverage of parliamentary campaigns, because it was an easy option for those who found it difficult to attend rallies. Mass communication professor Dr Khalid Al-Qihs said that there was a close link between democracy and media, which helped many women in their evaluation of the agenda of candidates.

Kuwait votes in a parliamentary election on Saturday, two months after the ruler of the world's fourth largest oil exporter dissolved the Islamist-dominated parliament to end a long-running dispute with the government.

A standing parliamentary seats' quota system to ensure a significant representation for women in parliament is a controversial issue in Kuwait, with critics saying female activists must earn the seats instead of occupying them without effort. The system is aimed at boosting women political participation, by granting them the legislative right to have a share of the seats on sustainable basis. Political activist Fatima Al-Nahham said that the latin word "quota" means sharing and is used to grant women the opportunity to hold seats in the parliament.

Kuwaiti voters head to the polls on 16 May in an early general election triggered by the cabinet's resignation following a row with parliament.This is the third early election in less than three years and the third in which women are allowed to vote and stand for parliament.
To read the full article please visit the BBC website.