 Kuwait's parliament has granted women the right to vote and stand in elections for the first time in the Gulf state's history. The decision on Monday, finalised after several years of debate, was passed by a 35-23 vote after one legislator abstained. It was in an amendment to the conservative Gulf emirate's election law. The result, announced by the parliament speaker, was greeted with thunderous applause from the public gallery where supporters of the amendment, including women, were gathered. "I congratulate the women of Kuwait for having achieved their political rights," Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah said. However, conservative Muslims included an article in the bill requiring that any female politician or voter abide by Islamic law. It was not clear what limits this may put on women's rights.
| Since the Islamists will be the ones trying to interpret Islamic law, I'd say the limits will be significant. |
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