Community | March 07, 2010 | 14 comments

Iraqi Women Crowd Ballot amidst violence ahead of election

source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/06/eveningnews/main6273808.shtml?tag=stack

Image
jeffissleeping
On the eve of Iraq's second nationwide election, a car bomb killed at least three pilgrims and wounded more than 30 near a Shiite shrine.

Violence has dropped dramatically since the first election, and the type of candidate running for office has changed too, reports CBS News Correspondent Elizabeth Palmer.

At a Baghdad Women's Day lunch, Ishtar, Iraq's answer to a girl band, played traditional music.

The guests - housewives, students and professionals - included Maysoun Damlouji, an architect and member of parliament who is running for re-election Sunday.

She's one of 2,000 female candidates who hit the campaign trail for this election, an unprecedented showing in this male-dominated society.

Political parties have been forced to take women's issues seriously for the first time ever. Iraq's constitution was drafted in 2005 with lots of American input, and it stipulates that 25 percent of the seats in Iraq's parliament must go to women.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/06/eveningnews/main6273808.shtml?tag=stac...
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Politics,   Politics,   Current Tonight,   4 more
  2. tags:
    Women,  Iraq,  Women's Rights,  Iraq elections
  3.     
    |

14 comments // Iraqi Women Crowd Ballot amidst violence ahead of election

more from Community:
from the community

top videos