Women move a step closer to parliament

Five months after the voters shunned all female candidates in the local municipal elections, two Bahraini women have managed to upset predictions of a similar drubbing in Thursday's parliamentary elections.

Lateefa Al Guoud and Fawzia Ahmad Al Ruwaie beat the odds and came out on top in their constituencies in the national elections, but short of clinching the necessary 50 plus majority to be declared winners in the first round. Each will face a male candidate at the run-off round next Thursday.

Bahraini women were "shocked" last May when all 31 candidates who contested in the municipal elections for the 50 seats were defeated. Women's groups blamed the society's "centuries-old rigid social norms" for the disappointing results.

Assisted by the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), which is chaired by Sheikha Sabika, wife of His Majesty the King, the groups launched media and educational campaigns to plant new concepts.

"Voters should realise that women can be as efficient as men in any public office," Nadia Al Maskati, president of the Young Ladies Association told Gulf News at the start of the campaign in July.

She said even women voters didn't have enough confidence in female candidates, "and this will be addressed," by the campaign.

Eight women contested the national elections. Although six of them lost, some have done better than expected.

One, columnist Anissa Fakhro competed in Al Muharraq's seventh district, dubbed the 'Iron Group' because of its seven well-known candidates, including presidents of three political groups.

She came third beating two of those politicians. The third and a prominent businessman are facing each others in the second round.

Now Bahraini women are counting on Lateefa in the southern region and Fawzia in the northern region, to carry their hopes into the House of Deputies.