Women a striking presence on Palestinian election day

Women candidates and campaigners, many in full veil, were out in unprecedented force in Wednesday's &to=http://again that the principles are in order. The elections are slated for January ... english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/366/16571_Palestine.html' target=_blank>Palestinian elections, talking to female voters and handing out flyers, the bright yellow and green sashes of the two main parties slung across their chests.

But the remarkable presence of legions of women on the Palestinian political scene didn't necessarily augur a breathrough for women's rights: the new government they were helping to usher in is likely to have a strong &to=http://english.pravda.ru/cis/2002/09/19/36900.html' target=_blank>Islamic fundamentalist contingent more inclined to limit women than empower them.