Women demand presence in newly-formed government

Women must be fairly represented in the newly-formed government and be given at least one key position in the cabinet, an Iraqi women’s group said at a recent conference. "We demand that one of the prime minister's four deputies is a woman," Leila Abdul-Latif, former minister of labour, said at a press conference held on Saturday in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. "We call upon politicians to choose qualified women who can represent Iraq and activate the role of women in decision-making posts." Baskal Esho, a Christian activist and former minister of displacement and migration, said "All Iraqi women reject being marginalised; they’re capable and qualified enough to serve society regardless of their ethnic, religious and political backgrounds." Safia al-Suhail, a secular Shiite legislator, pointed out that Iraqi women had shared past sufferings with their male compatriots. "We’re partners in this country as we were during the struggle against the Saddam Hussein regime,” said al-Suhail. “Men didn't struggle and suffer alone – we also paid.” Under the national constitution, approved in October of last year, Iraqi women are guaranteed basic legal rights, such as voting and property ownership, although there is some concern that the constitutionally established role of Islam might roll back some of these freedoms. At present women occupy 67 parliamentary seats out of 275, as the constitution stipulates that 25 percent of parliamentary seats be held by women. During the former regime of Saddam Hussein, female representation in parliament was less than 10 percent, with one key post going to a woman in the ruling Revolutionary Command Council. Although six women had served as cabinet ministers in previous governments, none have ever held top portfolios or headed political parties. After months of political deadlock, parliament finally convened on Saturday and re-elected Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, as President. Talabani, in turn, nominated Jawad al-Maliki, a Shiite Arab, as prime minister, with a mandate to name a new cabinet. The impasse came to a head when Sunni Arabs and Kurds rejected attempts by the first Shiite nominee, Ibrahim Jaafari, to renew his term as prime minister. Jaafari has been accused of failing to stem the rising tide of sectarian violence in the country.