Elections

The UN says 1,145 civilians were killed in the Afghan war in the first six months of this year, blaming 80 per cent of the deaths on fighters - more than half of those caused by roadside bombs.

Both developments come as the independent election commission officially announced April 5, 2014, as the date of the next presidential election in the Central Asian nation.

Fazel Ahmad Manawi, chief of the Independent Election Commission, said on Wednesday that provincial elections would take place on the same day.

Maysoun Qawasmi leads the first all-woman list of candidates for elective office in the Palestinian territories.

Watch the video at The New York Times, published 13 October 2012.

PRIME Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo prefers women entering Parliament through the normal electoral process and not by special consideration.

This came as women organisation in the country have pushed very hard for Government to introduce the 10 reserve seats through the Temporary Special Measures (TSM) in the 2014 election.

Winding up the special adjournment motion to adjourn Parliament to October 22, PM Lilo said his Government want to advance the TSM from a development approach than rights approach.

It is clear that this election could become a tipping point. Either the opponents of equality will win or those who believe in women’s rights will prevail. Fighting back piecemeal is no longer a viable option. We have made great progress as more and more grassroots movements and advocacy campaigns have taken hold.

Iraqi political blocs and parliamentary committees announced that they will boycott parliament sessions in protest of “the marginalization of the role of women in political life, since no seats were allocated to women in the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).” [The nine-member commission, Iraq's sole electoral authority, has the power to ban candidates from participating in elections.]