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KUWAIT CITY, June 4 (AFP)-Kuwaiti women, buoyant after winning the right to contest the law barring their voting rights, are just one step away from gaining full political rights. "We are optimistic that the constitutional court will rule in our favor because the unconstitutionality of the law is very clear," said Badria al-Awadi, a lawyer, to a press conference. "Although our rights have become a political game between the government and parliament, we are now not far away from winning," she added. Awadi represented businesswoman Rula Dashti in Kuwait's administrative court last week in her successful bid to refer the suffrage law to the constitutional court, whose verdicts are final. "It's very serious if the court rejects the lawsuit, but we will respect the verdict. It's unthinkable, however, for the government to say the law is constitutional," said Awadi. Kuwait's constitution guarantees the equality of the sexes while Article One of the electoral law grants political rights only to men. "Article One of the electoral law is in contradiction with several articles of the constitution, besides breaching its spirit. Its unconstitutionality is very obvious," she charged. The constitutional court is expected to invite the women to present their arguments within the next three weeks. The court will then ask the government to submit its rival claims. In November, a strong coalition of Sunni Muslim and tribal MPs in the Gulf Arab emirate narrowly defeated a bill, which would have granted women full political rights The vote came a week after parliament rejected a similar decree issued by Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah in May 1999, on the grounds that it was issued after dissolution of parliament. Kuwait is alone among the six conservative Gulf Arab monarchies to have an elected parliament. |
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