Women prepare for tough election battle in conservative Bahrain

A slew of women are preparing to run for parliament in elections due late this year in this island kingdom, but they face a tough fight in a conservative society that has only recently revived its democratic process.

Photo: Women prepare for tough election battle in conservative Bahrain

Observers say that to win, candidates need to be backed by one of the country's Islamic societies, Shiite or Sunni, which oppose women holding public office.

Hassan Madan, a columnist for the pro-government newspaper Al-Ayam, said the Islamists command wide support among the 400,000 citizens of this pro-Western country that hosts the base of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

"The opportunities for women to win are very limited beacuse the dominant trends ... are not favoring a women's role in public life," Madan said.

But one of the country's leading business women, Fatima Jawad, said that if women campaign vigorously, "it is possible to beat the Islamists."

"I am very optimistic as many people are looking for a change," said Jawad, who is not planning to stand in the polls, due to take place between September and December.

One prospective female candidate is Jameela al-Sammak, a psychologist who intends to stand in her constituency in the capital, Manama.

"I conducted a survey in my area and found that 90 percent (of voters) are demanding improved housing, salaries and employment," al-Sammak said on Thursday. "I believe I can deliver on these issues."

Women candidates are getting advice on campaigning from the U.N. Development Program and the state-run Supreme Council for Women. The council says that so far it has helped 21 prospective female candidates, but it did not say whether they intended to run in the parliamentary or muncipal polls.

However, there is a question mark about the elections. The government has not yet announced a date.

Several opposition groups who boycotted the 2002 polls, human rights activists, left-wingers and Shiites, have organized slates of candidates for this year's polls. The country's Shiite majority has grown restive during the past few years, mounting frequent anti-government protests.

Some people fear the Sunni-dominated government might postpone the elections. But government officials say the polls will be held between September and the end of the year.

The elections of 2002 were the first since the late king suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament in 1975, reports AP.

O.Ch.