Aseel al-Awadhi

Aseel al-Awadhi (born 1969) is a former member of the National Assembly of Kuwait. She was a professor of philosophy at Kuwait University before entering politics. Al-Awadhi first stood for a seat on the National Assembly in 2008, losing the election but gaining the highest number of votes for a female candidate since women were allowed to stand. She was elected representative of Kuwait's Third District in 2009, a post she held until 2012.

Education

After studying philosophy at Kuwait University, al-Awadhi earned her PhD in philosophy at the University of Texas.[1] Upon returning to Kuwait she became a professor of philosophy at Kuwait University.[2]

Political career

Al-Awadhi first stood in the 2008 general election as part of the National Democratic Alliance. She gained the highest number of votes received by a Kuwaiti woman since women were allowed to stand for the National Assembly in 2005, although she did not gain enough votes to win a seat. In the 2009 election she was elected representative for the third constituency while simultaneously becoming one of the first women to be elected to the National Assembly.[3]

As the first Kuwaiti women in parliament, Rola Dashti and Al-Awadhi did not wear the hijab when they took their seats as MPs in the National Assembly in 2008. This decision was criticized by several Islamist MPs, including Ali al-Omair. In 2009, Kuwait's top court officially ruled that veiling is optional for Kuwaiti women MPs in parliament.[4]

Al-Awadhi lost her seat in the February 2012 election but briefly returned to parliament after the previous parliament was dissolved by the Emir in June 2012.[5] She chose to boycott the December 2012 election in protest of the decision to reduce the number of votes per person from four to one.[6] She chose not to stand in the 2013 election.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Former Kuwaiti Parliament Member Discusses Middle East Democracy law.tamu.edu
  2. ↑ "Distinguished Lecture Series hosts Kuwaiti Parliamentarian Aseel Al-Awadi, Ph.D." Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Mark Tran (17 May 2009), "First women elected to Kuwait parliament", The Guardian, retrieved 26 January 2014
  4. ↑ Kuwait rejects call to force head cover on women MPs, Reuters, 28 October 2009
  5. ↑ Grace Perriman (27 November 2012), Kuwait's Tenacious Suffragettes, archived from the original on 23 July 2013, retrieved 26 January 2014
  6. ↑ "38 register for poll on day five". Arab Times. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  7. ↑ Interior Ministry's officials urged to redouble efforts ahead of elections, Kuwait Times, 23 June 2013, archived from the original on 5 August 2019, retrieved 26 January 2014



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