First Kuwaiti woman minister sworn in
Tuesday 21 June 2005, 10:21 Makka Time, 7:21 GMT
Kuwait’s first woman minister Maasuma al-Mubarak has taken the oath in parliament to become a member of the otherwise all-male house amid noisy protests by Islamist lawmakers.
Under Kuwaiti law, a minister automatically becomes an ex-officio member of parliament with the same rights as elected MPs except for votes on no-confidence motions against ministers.
As al-Mubarak began to take her oath on Monday, a number of Islamist and tribal MPs opposed to women’s political rights began screaming and banging on their desks. But she looked unbothered as she continued to read the oath.
The MPs said al-Mubarak’s appointment was unconstitutional because she has not been registered as a voter. They said electoral law requires members of parliament, including ministers, to be registered voters.
Al-Mubarak could not register as a voter because annual voter registration opens only in February, but women were not enfranchised until May.
Parliament Speaker Jassem al-Khorafi, however, told the house that he had studied the matter with constitutional experts who said her appointment was legal.
A small crowd in the gallery, including women, witnessed the historical oath-taking, but the event was recorded to be broadcast on state-run television later on Monday.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BFAF36DA-9E25-4941-9951-1ACF9A3CA547.htm
A great day for women and shias in kuwait. 