KUWAIT CITY, 6 June 2005 — The government yesterday named two women to join its municipal council, in a historic move for the country which only last month agreed to grant women full political rights.
In the last all-male elections in Kuwait last week, voters elected 10 members of the 16-seat civic body, while the remaining six members are appointed by the ruler of the country on the recommendation of the government.
“During its weekly meeting yesterday, the Cabinet named two women to the municipal council for the first time in the history of Kuwait,” Social Affairs Minister Faisal Al-Hajji told reporters.
The state-run KUNA news agency quoted Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as saying that “two of the six appointed members were women.”
Government sources said the two women are Sheikha Fatima Nasser Al-Sabah, a member of the ruling family and sister of former Oil Minister Sheikh Saud Nasser Al-Sabah and Fawziya Al-Bahar, both engineers.
“I never dreamed of being a member of the council. I am very proud to be the first Kuwaiti woman to be appointed to the council,” said Sheikha Fatima.
“I hope I will be able to serve my country. Although the council is technical and deals with planning matters, I will try to promote the cause of Kuwaiti women wherever possible,” she said.
Sheikha Fatima is an architect who graduated from the Catholic University, Washington, D.C. For the last four years, she has been an assistant Cabinet undersecretary for engineering affairs.
The appointments, which also include four men, are to be confirmed and issued in a decree by Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
The local media had reported after the June 2 vote that the government intended to appoint up to three women to the council, whose powers are restricted to civic planning, monitoring some public services and restaurants, roads and civil construction.
Women will make their election debut in the 2007 legislative elections and will vote and contest in the next municipal polls in 2009, after Parliament voted on May 16 to grant them full political rights.
Tribal candidates bagged six of the 10 elected seats in Thursday’s vote, while two were claimed by members backed by Sunni and Shiite Islamists and two were won by liberal-leaning businessmen.
