Dr Rakhsana Mohammed Ismael - Data of the Arab social and cultural reality demonstrate that there is a tangible recession with respect to the Arab woman political participation in the parliamentary life. This reality exists despite of the efforts exerted by the Arab woman and her woman organisations and the civil society organisations active in the area of human rights that give this question a priority in their programmes, proceeding in that from Arab and international conventions and pledges signed by al of the Arab countries. Also the correct reading of the Quranic tests in this regard, away from the fatwas and legal opinions deeply indulged in backwardness, grant the Muslim and Arab woman these human rights.

The issue of the Arab woman in general and the Yemeni in particular regarding her political participation in elections emerges as one of the most important issues within the democratic system whose signs have begun to spread in the Arab region by the mid of the nineties of the last century, its seeds are manifested in the emergence of a new reality in the political mobility in some Arab countries such as political pluralism and the opinion and other opinion.

In this regard came emergence of many religious political trends as one of the important features of this political action that in turn reflected itself on all walks of political, economic, social and cultural life in our Arab reality. This reflection came to be apparent in the recession of the issue of the Arab woman unlike her effective participation during the sixties and seventies as well as the eighties decades of the last century. That can be attributed to policies pursued by the Arab national regimes ' the totalitarian' which contributed much to giving the Arab woman her rights in accordance with reality and circumstances of those stages most of the Arab countries experienced.

Indicators show that the proportion of the woman participation is retreating with the passage of time and maybe that is ascribed to the negative traditional awareness which still haunts many of social segments including political parties and even those parties that are still bragging much on the woman rights and the necessity of her political participation. The monotony of partisan life and ossification of the political process led to non-development of the political work mechanisms that would push the woman and the society towards activation of the political process and the woman participation in it.

Some political parties and organisations as well as the bodies interested in the woman's political participation had in the past period held large-scale dialogues and discussions on role of parties in supporting the woman in candidacy for membership of the parliament and local councils in the hope of increasing her participation in the political life. That would not be attained but through comprehensive appraisal and revising of the democratic experiment and reconsideration of the elections system and shape of government in the manner guaranteeing actual interaction of democracy and decrease of strictness of centralization and giving governorates broader powers in managing their affairs.

The electoral round of 1997 revealed a retreat in woman nomination to 19 candidates compared to 41 candidates in 1993 and in the parliamentary elections of 1997 only two women succeeded and in the parliamentary elections of 2003 one woman won. The case is no different concerning the local authority elections. The results of the local elections of 2001 indicate the winning of 27 women (o.4%) against 7032 men (99.6%).

The political sharing of the woman under elevation of her material standard and active impact in development is embodiment of political freedom and implementation of other rights of the woman especially the legal. The actual rather than nominal assumption of decision-making post would open for her opportunity for safeguarding her other legitimate rights stipulated in the constitution and a guarantee to her actual practice of all her rights and will give her capability to govern and control other fields in the way securing for her equal rights. The woman's competence in actual political participation would enable he contribute to making decisions in all fields through taking part in legislation and drawing up general policies and that would secure her interest as well as thee interest of the family and the society an ensure incorporation of her issues in the developmental plans.

The General People's Congress has taken the initiative by fixing a list of 15% of its higher bodies; the general committee and the permanent committee and made arduous efforts to fix this percentage during the parliamentary and local elections in coordination with other parties but when the moment comes the parties would forget these agreements and promises and look for the special interest, forgetting about the issues of the women and her political empowerment.

The president has taken us unawares by his new initiative that includes many points, among them allocation of 15% proportion in the parliament for the woman. The question is how cold this proportion be guaranteed? Is it going to be as part of contest between her and the man or according to the rules of quota which give more secure opportunity for the woman to reach the parliament, especially in the masculine reality that is in control of all positions of government and authority?

I therefore, propose to study the woman quota project set up by the Woman National Committee in cooperation with all parties related to the woman activity and her empowerment and to apply it in the upcoming parliamentary elections.


Dr Rakhsana Mohammed Ismael I Director the Woman Centre for Research and Training at the University of Aden, she contributed this article to Almotamar.net