Iraqi women fear going public as candidates

updated 3:28 p.m. ET Oct. 6, 2008

BAGHDAD - The 38-year-old teacher wanted to participate in Iraq's first provincial elections in four years — until she realized that a new law would require the ballot to list her name, not just her party.

Even as violence has declined, lingering fear bred by rampant crime and a small but die-hard insurgency has left many Iraqi women afraid to run in the elections, to be held by Jan. 31.

"I feel that I am unprotected," said the teacher, speaking by telephone on condition of anonymity because of her fears. "I am not going to run in the elections because I fear for the safety of members of my family who might be targeted."

The teacher, a Sunni who considers herself a political independent, hails from Baqouba, a former stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq some 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. Al-Qaida and other Sunni extremists have frequently attacked more moderate Sunnis who cooperate with the Iraqi government or U.S.-led forces.

The election jitters are part of a larger concern about violence and traditional values or prejudice sidelining women from important jobs. The constitution provides that men and women have basic legal rights such as voting and owning property and suing in court. But deep differences exist within Iraqi society over the role of women and of Islam.

Names revealed
Under heavy U.S. pressure to promote gender equality, the Iraqis agreed to a 25 percent quota for women in the last elections for parliament and provincial councils, both held in 2005. A law paving the way for the new vote to be held by Jan. 31 maintains that requirement, opening the door for women to make up at least a quarter of the provincial councils.

But there's a crucial difference this time.

In the past elections, names did not appear on the ballot — only numbers and symbols identified with political parties. That system helped empower well-organized religious parties and left many Iraqis feeling little connection with elected officials who were supposed to represent them.

In the new vote, the names of candidates must be presented to voters.

The change to a so-called open list has scared some qualified Iraqis from running, particularly women. Activists are worried there won't be enough women to meet the 25 percent threshold, or that the parties will just find women to act as figureheads to fill the quota.

Said Arikat, a spokesman for the U.N. mission in Iraq, noted that "some statistics show that when countries move from closed to open lists, women don't fare as well."

But he said the switch to an open list can also be difficult for men. "Running for elections in Iraq takes courage and commitment by all candidates," he said.

Avoiding attention
Unlike other countries where politicians crave the limelight, Iraqis generally try to avoid drawing attention to themselves; tens of thousands of people have been killed for purportedly backing U.S. efforts or as part of power struggles with rival parties.

Underscoring the dangers, gunmen last week broke into a house and killed Mohammad Radhi al-Halfi, a contractor who planned to run as an independent for the provincial council in the former southern Shiite militia stronghold of Basra.

"We believe that the coming elections are risky, especially for those independents whose names are disclosed," al-Halfi's brother Haider said. "We tried our best to prevent him from participating, but our efforts were in vain and that cost him his life."

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