26 Women Candidates Unsuccessful In Qatar's First Legislative Elections
NDTV
As Qatar carried out its first legislative elections on Saturday, voters chose none of the 26 women who stood for election.
Voters chose none of the 26 women who stood for election in Qatar's first legislative elections on Saturday, disappointing candidates who had wanted to lend a voice for women and other Qataris in the Gulf monarchy's political process.
The vote was for 30 members of the 45-seat advisory Shura Council, with the emir continuing to appoint the remaining 15 members of the body which can approve a limited scope of policies for the small but wealthy country that bans political parties.
"To have all men is not the vision of Qatar," said Aisha Hamam al-Jasim, 59, a nursing manager who ran in Doha's Markhiya district. She urged Qatari women to start "voicing what they believe in" and vote for strong women candidates in future.
"For the first time in Qatar, this is the opportunity to take part in the political," she said as people trickled into the polls earlier on Saturday.
