Kuwaiti Women Vote For The First Time In Parliamentary Elections
Yvonne Lee - All Headline News Staff Reporter Kuwait City, Kuwait (AHN) - In a historic day for Kuwait, women vote in parliamentary elections for the first time in the country's history. Women make up 57 of voters. They gained the right to vote and run for office in 2005. Voters came by bus and cars to polling stations on Thursday. Salwa al-Sanoussi, 45, was one of the first women to arrive at the polling station in Dahyia. She tells The Associated Press, "It feels like a wedding day." Unofficial results reported by Kuwait television show women candidates were behind in nearly every district. Percentages of the partial vote count were not released. Media reports say four of the 50 parliament seats were going to three reformist candidates and one independent. Official results are expected later on Friday. The U.S. State Department tells the AP that allowing women to vote in Kuwait is "a huge step forward" for the country and the region. Saudi Arabia is currently the only Arab nation that has elections, but does not permit women to vote.
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