Qatari Women Get 0 Representation in Elections, Frustration Arises
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An obvious frustration among Qatari women candidates and voters arises after announcing the results of the Shura Council elections, which saw the victory of 30 male candidates.
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Out of the 284 candidates who ran for the 30 available council seats, only 28 were women.
Female voters voiced disappointment on Sunday after none were elected in Qatar's first legislative elections - all eyes were on whether or not the Emir will use his powers to appoint 15 lawmakers to boost representation.
According to the Election Supervision Committee in the Qatari Ministry of Interior, 30 men were elected to Qatar's Shura Council on Saturday's elections, despite that more than 12 women ran for the race.
Aisha Jassim al-Kuwari, a defeated candidate, hoped that the Emir of Qatar's quota will ensure the appointment of four to five women because their presence "is very important."
Al-Kuwari ran in a constituency alongside four other women against 14 male contenders.
She expressed that some of the female candidates were disappointed because they have already presented strong programs, but "some female voters chose men and this is the will of the people."
Of the 284 candidates who ran for the 30 available council seats, only 28 were women.
The 30 winning candidates were older, men mostly from prominent families. Many of said men had backgrounds in business or government.
The Gulf Center for Human Rights said that Qatar's election laws would "need to be fully amended" to give women candidates a chance at future polls.
For her part, Ebtesam al-Saad, a popular Qatari author, tweeted that Qataris still "hesitate to accept women... voters still feel that their communication with men is more free and flexible than their dealings with women."
The turnout in the Qatari legislative elections was 63.5 percent, according to official data.
