When Iraq finally forms a new government, one thing is certain -- there will be many new faces. Only 62 of 275 incumbents were re-elected. In particular, some of the new faces will be women. By law, 25 percent of the parliament must be female. In some cases, that means replacing men who would have won seats -- which isn't always welcome news to the men.
Iraqi activist Hanna Edward agrees. She says the group of 82 women entering Iraq's next legislature are much more qualified than those in the previous parliament, many of whom were party apparatchiks. This time, it was the highest vote-getting women who got in, and a complicated system determined which men they replaced.That didn't go down so well with the men, says Edward, who says the elections committee has been deluged with letters of complaint.
To read the complete news story please visit NPR.
When Iraq finally forms a new government, one thing is certain -- there will be many new faces. Only 62 of 275 incumbents were re-elected. In particular, some of the new faces will be women. By law, 25 percent of the parliament must be female. In some cases, that means replacing men who would have won seats -- which isn't always welcome news to the men.
Iraqi activist Hanna Edward agrees. She says the group of 82 women entering Iraq's next legislature are much more qualified than those in the previous parliament, many of whom were party apparatchiks. This time, it was the highest vote-getting women who got in, and a complicated system determined which men they replaced.That didn't go down so well with the men, says Edward, who says the elections committee has been deluged with letters of complaint.
To read the complete news story please visit NPR.