MOROCCO: Woman candidate in Moroccan elections says women deserve more representation in public sphere

Women candidates running in Morocco's upcoming parliamentary elections say the public has begun to realise women are as capable as men in the public sphere, giving them hope they will fair well in the poll on Friday (September 7). "We sense people's confidence in the abilities of women in managing areas of public life, and I think there is a shift in mentalities and in society's views on women's participation in political life," said Latifa Ejbabdi, one of the candidates for the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP). Voters will cast ballots in the second parliamentary elections under King Mohammed, who ascended the throne in 1999 on a wave of popularity after the 38-year rule of his father. Analysts say the elections should help revitalise parts of the ruling elite body and energise the political process, though parliament has only limited powers. Thirty-three political parties and dozens of independent candidates are competing for seats in the 325-member lower chamber of parliament. Ejbabdi said women politicians have a reputation of being fair-handed and free of corruption, and this would help them gain votes in the elections. "They are serious, women are fair and clean, and therefore they are worthy to be chosen. This is what we have sensed, it's been told us not only by women but also by men from all social levels and sectors," Ejbabdi said. Ejbabdi's Socialist Union of Popular Forces, the former bugbear of late King Hassan, entered government in 1998 at the head of a seven-party coalition. It has toned down demands for a new constitution and focused on gradual social reform. Ejbabdi's own agenda concentrates on empowering women, campaigning for their rights and promoting them in the social and political spheres. Of the 6,637 candidates running in the elections, 299 are women. In the last parliament, 40 seats were held by women. Some analysts hope they will gain more seats on Friday. "We women still strive to gain more seats in parliament, on the basis that we do not consider ourselves lesser being than men in terms of contributing to political and social life," said lawyer and academic Fatiha bin Hammoud. Ejbabdi said Morocco has taken great steps in furthering women's rights but more needed to be done. A Moroccan law hailed as a triumph for women's rights was passed three years ago and gave women equal status to men, shared family rights and the right to start divorce proceedings and separate from their husband after six months. Before, divorce was a right for a man to exercise whenever he wished. The minimum marrying age for women was raised to 18 from 15 and polygamy was made harder to practice. The law's supporters say it is one of the most progressive in the Arab world and puts Morocco alongside Tunisia, which already banned polygamy and abolished repudiation, which allowed a husband to end a marriage at will without legal proceedings. But politicians like Ejbabdi and women's groups say true emancipation will only be possible if Morocco becomes a wealthier society. With unemployment high and the fear of poverty looming, wives are beholden to husbands for their livelihoods, putting them in a position of weakness the husbands can often abuse.

ITN Source | September 6, 2007

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