US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT1401

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 001401 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KDEM, KWMN, KU, WOMEN'S POLITICAL RIGHTS 
SUBJECT: MUNICIPAL COUNCIL: KUWAITI WOMEN'S SECOND VOTING 
RIGHTS BATTLEGROUND 
 
Classified By: DCM Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (U) Summary: The Kuwaiti women's political participation 
debate has erupted on a second front: the Municipal Council. 
A new Municipality Law went into effect March 20 but without 
reference to the article that would have permitted women to 
vote, run for office and serve on the Municipal Council. Now, 
however, the Government has submitted an amendment to 
Parliament to reinstate the withdrawn article. The GOK claims 
municipal voting is merely the first step toward women's 
suffrage on the national level. Skeptics counter that this 
tactic will pacify Islamists opposed to full voting rights 
and effectively derail the movement for broader women's 
political participation. End summary. 
 
2. (U) The GOK sent a Municipality Law amendment to the 
National Assembly April 5 to permit Kuwaiti women to vote in 
elections for, and participate on, the Municipal Council. The 
new law went into effect March 20 by Amiri decree, but the 
GOK removed Article 3, which would have granted women 
participatory rights, before enacting the legislation after 
MPs initially balked. The amendment has been referred to the 
Parliament's Public Utilities Committee, which will issue a 
report before the full Assembly can vote. Press reports and 
contacts indicate the amendment will pass with broad support. 
Even those MPs, including Islamists, who oppose women's 
participation at the national level support this measure. 
 
3. (C) The GOK views this move as the first step toward full 
political participation for Kuwaiti women. Critics, such as 
activist Dr. Moudi Al-Humoud, however, charge that this 
half-measure may stymie efforts to grant full voting rights 
to women. Al-Humoud told poloff April 6 that National 
Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi favors the step-by-step 
approach and is trying to convince Prime Minister Shaykh 
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to abandon the push for 
women's suffrage in favor of this gradual method. She fears 
Al-Khorafi may succeed. 
 
4. (U) In addition, many Kuwaiti women who currently support 
full voting rights may be satisfied with Municipal 
participation thus removing their voices from the calls for 
full suffrage. The loss of these women would debilitate a 
poorly organized voting rights' campaign that already suffers 
from apathy. 
 
5. (U) The Municipal Council oversees technical issues, such 
as zoning, roads and permits. There is currently only one 
Council for the entire country. It consists of 10 elected and 
six Government-appointed members and reports to Mohammed 
Daifallah Sharar, Deputy Premier and Minister of State for 
Cabinet and National Assembly Affairs. 
 
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TUELLER