Alees Samaan
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Alees Samaan (also listed as Alice Semaan) is the first woman to chair a parliament in the Middle East when in April 2005 chaired Bahrain's upper house of parliament, the Consultative Council.[1] Samaan is one of four women to sit in the Consultative Council. Like the majority of Bahraini Christians, she is the daughter of immigrants who were granted citizenship, with her parents being of Syrian Christian origin.
Women were only allowed to vote in Bahrain in 2002 when the Kingdom adopted wide ranging political reforms including the establishment of parliament, the release of all political prisoners and the encouragement of civil society.[2] Women's political rights in Bahrain have been at the core of the reform process, while being a major issue of contention between liberals and the Islamist dominated opposition.[3]
Women were allowed to vote and run in the 2002 parliamentary elections in Bahrain.[4]
References
- ^ Abdelhadi, Magdi (19 April 2005). "Bahraini woman chairs parliament". BBC Online. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Bahrain profile – Timeline". BBC. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ Sengupta, Somini (24 October). "Bahrain's Women Take a Step Toward Political Power". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Darwish, Adel (25 October 2002). "Bahrain's women vote for first time". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
External links
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