Iraqi law requires that about 25 percent of the 444 seats on the 14 new provincial councils go to women — even if it means giving a position to female candidates who didn't win as many votes as some men in the Jan. 31 balloting. The quota, which already gave 75 women seats in the national parliament, was established under U.S. pressure to open the door to political representation by women and encourage a new generation of Iraqis from all sectors of society. But female candidates say they experienced wide rejection.
To read the full article, please visit Associated Press' Website.
Iraqi law requires that about 25 percent of the 444 seats on the 14 new provincial councils go to women — even if it means giving a position to female candidates who didn't win as many votes as some men in the Jan. 31 balloting. The quota, which already gave 75 women seats in the national parliament, was established under U.S. pressure to open the door to political representation by women and encourage a new generation of Iraqis from all sectors of society. But female candidates say they experienced wide rejection.
To read the full article, please visit Associated Press' Website.