MANAMA, 2 February 2005 — King Hamad’s wife has urged Bahraini women to work to win seats on merit in next year’s parliamentary elections rather than rely on any quota system.
“Women must enter Parliament and impose their political participation through competence ... I don’t favor a quota system because it is discriminatory,” Sheikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa said.
“Bahrain’s constitution provides for equality between men and women,” she told reporters on Monday.
Some Bahraini women’s associations and activists have suggested introducing a quota system to ensure women secure a number of seats in the next Parliament after they failed to get elected in the 2002 polls.
“If no woman is elected in 2006, it will not be the end of the world. Women must first prove their competence and be convincing,” said Sheikha Sabeeka, who heads the Supreme Women’s Council. The council would not support any woman candidate in next year’s legislative elections, she added.
