Women candidates in the Iraq election are facing resistance

Prior to the Iraq parliamentary election on March 7, the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation has interviewed twelve women candidates and women’s rights activists about the problems facing women candidates. We asked about the kind of resistance met by women candidates, the issues they wish to pursue and whether the international community could in some way improve the chances of a fair election.

It is clear to see that the candidates face a number of difficulties purely because they are women. All those we have had contact with have themselves, or know women who have, been subjected to harassment and threats, including death threats.

Maha HamidIn the 2005 election one of the interviewees, Maha Hamid, was elected to the Iraqi parliament but stood down due to murder threats. The resistance is just as strong today, but this time around she is determined not to give in.

According to Maha Hamid, Iraqi women’s political representation is still very much a numerical issue. She explains how politicians who pursue human rights are shut out of the corridors of power. After the 2005 parliamentary election she and her family were harassed over her declining to take her seat in parliament.

– I stood as an independent on the only feminist list, The Daughters of Iraq. The winning lists did not have sufficient numbers of women and our list received a large number of votes. I would definitely have got in if I had appealed, but I refrained to save my life, she explains.

The resistance has strengthened her resolve and her belief in the continued struggle to get women into positions of power. She is driven by the strong support and faith shown in her by the electorate and the ambition to bring about real improvements in Iraq.

She puts the strong support down to the fact that her father is a respected clan leader, that she has been involved in politics and popular movements since the 1970s and that she never supported the former regime.

– There are so many extremist groups, but I never needed to put on a hijab or long skirts. I was still respected.

Hasn’t the security situation improved since the 2005 election?
– No, no, no. The election will be bloody. The situation is extremely complicated, says Maha Hamid.

Women's low status in society a problem
It is also clear that the oppression of women and their low status in society complicates women’s candidacy. Those interviewed by Kvinna till Kvinna maintain that few voters will vote for a woman, either because they do not think women should be involved in politics or that a vote for a woman is a wasted vote.

Lamaan SabriExperience from the 2005 election shows that many women were there to fulfil the 25 per cent quota requirement. They were chosen because they were loyal. Women who defied loyalty and openly pursued women’s rights were threatened and out-manoeuvred. A similar pattern emerged from the 2009 provincial elections. The fact that many women MPs are weak and lack a voice of their own has further eroded the confidence in women politicians.

– Men can hold meetings on the street, in assembly halls, anywhere, and it’s accepted without any problem. But it’s not that easy for women, says Lamaan Sabri, who could have been the first women party leader to stand for the Iraqi parliament.

Lamaan Sabri was recently elected President of the Iraqi National Movement, but she declined due to the social climate. She herself suggested that a man should take on the role of Secretary General with her as assistant.

– Because of the Arab traditions our movement would have been ignored with a woman leader. When we win I’m prepared to step in as official leader. Women’s status is a high priority issue for the Iraqi National Movement, which has deliberately placed women top of the candidate lists, she says.

Lamaan Sabri says the resistance expresses itself in many ways. Election posters are ripped down, people do not attend meetings, women’s speeches are ignored and it is regarded as improper for a woman to speak loudly and eloquently. So they cannot rely on tried and tested methods of approaching voters and reaching out with their message. Direct contact with the electorate is crucial. Allowing women to hold meetings in schools, universities and ministries, which are otherwise shielded from political campaigns, would be a good way to even out the odds, she thinks.

Otherwise there is a risk that the women’s quota is filled by weak and shallow candidates lacking the strength to assert themselves when facing difficulties, as at the last election.

– Many parties seek such women to fulfil the quota and to avoid being confronted by women’s issues should they get into parliament. Also, the parties put more trust in men to achieve success so support them more than women, providing the woman does not have a very strong personality, of course. So women must never give an inch with regard to their rights.

Lamaan Sabri is not at all impressed by the work of parliament during the past four years. She would like the international community to understand how women are suppressed and deliberately marginalised at all levels.

– Women MPs have not been allowed to lead any important committees, an effective way of curbing their influence. And the weak work within the Women’s Ministry is underpinned by a lack of resources due to measures to promote women’s status in Iraq not being prioritised.”

The 25 percent quota is crucial
The interviewees all agree that it is extremely important for women to stand in the election and for more to be elected. Parliament shall represent the entire population, including women. They say that without women important issues disappear from the agenda.

Hanaa EdwarHanaa Edwar, Secretary General of the Al-Amal human rights organisation, a Kvinna till Kvinna partner, is becoming more concerned as the election approaches. She expects more conflicts between politicians and a downturn in the security situation.

The provincial elections in January 2009 were favourable for the current prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, and for secular powers.

– I doubt that it will bring about true change. These are parties that are built on a long history of sectarianism, that were founded on sectarian values, says Hanaa Edwar.

al-Maliki’s popularity in the provincial elections was mainly due to the improved security situation in 2008-2009, a situation that changed with the bombing of several ministries on October 19, 2009.

– I’m really concerned. Things do not look bright for democratic progress. Just like Saddam Hussein when he began losing power, al-Maliki is trying to bring the clans into line, saying it will increase security, but we’re talking about people who don’t respect the rule of law. Women are the first victims of the clan system. We have already witnessed an increase in child marriage; more and more people are going to religious courts and getting permission for ten to twelve-year-olds to marry. And the government let them break down our laws.

With regard to women’s representation, Hanaa Edwar is pessimistic. The 25 per cent quota requirement was weakened at the provisional elections. Initially through a dispute over whether the quota system actually concerned the provinces, which it does. Then the requirement for each third name on the lists to be a woman was dropped, a requirement that the women’s movement had pushed through with UN support prior to the first parliamentary election in 2005, when 27 per cent of the seats went to women. 

– The quota is now a ceiling rather than a floor, but without the quota women have no chance of winning. And open lists, instead of closed as in 2005, will make things even more difficult. Not even women trust women candidates, says Hanaa Edwar.

Hanaa Edwar says that sectarianism has a strong hold on rural areas. Criminal organisations with extremely traditional, conservative values force families to take their girls out of school.

– The consequence then is that families see no alternative other than the girls marrying. For families with mixed sects (Sunni or Shia) through marriage it is dangerous everywhere. There’s no place, no solution for them and they’re offered no protection, she continues.

Hanna Edwar sees hope in people having had enough. Tendencies towards change are visible. Islamic parties have lost support due to all the violence.

– People talk openly about the need to separate religious power from political power. Now it’s not only human rights activists like myself, but also ordinary people who speak openly in this way. I think we will see change, but it won’t be great.

All those interviewed by the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation craved more international pressure to give women a real opportunity to exert their civil right to stand in the election. All of them feel that the international community should, and even has a duty to, provide direct support to women candidates. This could take on the form of training in campaigning techniques and media. In addition, they urge the international community to do everything in its power to prevent election rigging, of which there is a great risk.

Sundus AbassSundus Abass, head of WLI, a leadership institution for women who educate women for leading roles in Iraqi society, says that the 25 per cent quota has had positive synergies. Women’s participation has increased in a way that would have been impossible without a quota. And she is quick to point out that the quota was pushed through by the Iraqi women’s movement.

– It’s not a gift from the occupying powers. The Americans weren’t interested, and they also lacked awareness of women’s rights as laid down in the various UN declarations, such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). This is why we successfully pursued the introduction of a women’s quota.

According to Sundus Abass the main obstacles facing women in campaigning work are financial limitations, resistance within the family and a lack of security. Women seldom have the financial resources required and most parties put more into their men candidates. Families that could make an effort often fear that a woman campaigning could lead to mudslinging from competitive candidates, along with the risk of the family getting a bad reputation.

– Neither do the women have the protection required to guarantee their safety. It’s not easy to overcome all these barriers, but a great many Iraqi women are brave and determined to participate. Local and international organisations support women candidates. Sometimes also husbands and other family members, but I think the women’s personalities are decisive, says Sundus Abass.

Kvinna till Kvinna gives recommendations to UN and EU
The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation urges the international community to take greater responsibility for developments in Iraq, particularly for the situation of women.

– All the beautiful words about peace and democracy ring false as long as women are prevented from participating in politics on an equal basis, so the threats and discrimination of women candidates is not only a women’s issue, says Lena Ag, President of the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.

To improve the situation for women candidates and to ensure a more credible election, the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation proposes that Sweden pursues the following through the EU and UN:

• Teach women candidates campaigning skills.
• Ensure that those who monitor the election specifically examine the difficulties facing women candidates and to ensure that family voting and similar does not take place.

• Highlight the problems and demand a guarantee from the Iraqi government and election authority that safeguards women candidates and their opportunity to stand for election on equal terms.

Jenny Rönngren, freelance journalist
Annika Flensburg, Kvinna till Kvinna
Åsa Carlman, Kvinna till Kvinna