Almotamar.net - An academic study called Tuesday for supporting content of the draft constitutional amendments proposed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh concerning the allocation of 15% of the parliament seats for the woman, suggesting that should be stipulated in the constitution after conducting the amendments as well as in the elections law.

The study prepared by Professor of International Law at the college of law, Aden University Dr Abdulhakim Muhsin Atroush on the woman political participation (quota) demanded for obligating the political parties in Yemen to allocate 15% of their candidates' lists for women and it proposed that this legal obligation has to be done through amending the parties law in a way containing a text compelling the parties to include the list of candidates for parliamentary elections with a proportion no less than 15% for women candidates.

Moreover the study recommended the expansion of the President's initiative so as to include a proportion of 15% of the local councils seats for the woman with emphasis on the importance of woman representation in membership of the supreme commission for elections and all supervising committees.

That comes at a time when the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) reiterated its opposition to the wonan's quota. Chairman of the electoral office of the Yemeni Congregation of Reform party (Islah) Ibrahim al-Haeri showed the parties of the JMP opposition of the quota question during his remarks given at the Electoral Reforms Symposium organised in Sana'a lately by the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
The Islahi leading member justified his party and the JMP's rejection of the woman quota by saying it contradicts the principle of equality and void of the electors freedom in selection, considering what the woman would gain in this respect would not exceed its being a masculine gift. That remark urged representative of the NDI to respond by saying that the Islahi leader remarks on the quota contradict the international laws which Yemen had endorsed.
Civil circles, activities and organisations concerned with the Yemeni woman participation fear that differences among the political parties as well as the stance of the Islah rejecting to recognizing the woman right to enter elections as candidate would contribute to inability of the government to enter amendments in the law scheduled to be included in the constitutional draft amendments calling for translation of the amendments draft of allocating 15% of the parliament seats for the woman.