VZCZCXRO6497
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHKU #0500/01 1380504
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 180504Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3347
INFO RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000500 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP (JSAWYER), NEA/PPD (ASOMERSET, DBENZE), 
NEA/PI, R 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO KDEM SOCI KU
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION: PARLIAMENTARY 
ELECTIONS -- PLUS FOUR WOMEN, MINUS FOUR ISLAMISTS 
 
REF: KUWAIT 490 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  Summary and Comment.  Initial results of Kuwait's May 16 
parliamentary elections were announced in the early hours of Sunday, 
May 17.  Due to the timing, Kuwait's print media on May 17 contained 
limited to no reporting on the vote tallies.  Local dailies, 
however, distributed the latest news via their websites.  Blogs and 
online magazines also posted news and analysis on the election 
results.  Headlines focused on the historic win for the four Kuwaiti 
women who garnered enough votes to enter the National Assembly. 
Several media outlets commented on the Islamist bloc's loss of four 
seats, two from Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) and two from 
Salafi bloc.  The media also highlighted the success of Shiite 
candidates.  End Summary and Comment. 
 
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Media Headlines: Women Take Center Stage 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  Conservative, liberal, and pro-government print media and online 
magazines carried major headlines on one common theme: the victory 
of Kuwaiti women in the elections. 
 
-- "Change on Women's Day" (conservative Arabic daily Al-Watan) 
 
-- "Change...!" (liberal Arabic daily Al-Rai) 
 
-- "A step forward - Women in the National assembly on the third 
attempt" (Pro-government Arabic daily Awan) 
 
-- "Historical Victory: Maasouma, Rola and Aseel to the Parliament 
and Salwa and Thekra were so close!" (moderate Arabic daily 
Al-Qabas) [Note: the headline was based on predictions that only 
three women would win seats.  End Note.] 
 
-- "Kuwaiti women made the history!" (moderate and pro-government 
Arabic daily Al-Anbaa) 
 
In addition to describing the Election Day as "Kuwaiti Women's Day" 
par excellence, pro-government Al-Anbaa published a Kuwait News 
Agency (KUNA) article in which HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad 
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah expressed his pleasure with the advanced results 
achieved by Kuwaiti women in these elections. 
 
¶3.  Several other Arabic dailies, such as liberal Al-Jarida, 
pro-government Al-Seyassah, and Shiite Conservative Al-Dar, did not 
report results or even final predictions.  Their headlines focused 
on the peaceful election process and a statement by the former Prime 
Minister Shaykh Nasser Al-Mohammad while visiting the polls on May 
¶16.  Shaykh Nasser was widely quoted as saying "the elections are 
honest and let's work together to bring Kuwait back as the pearl of 
the Gulf." 
 
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Four Trends Emerge in Initial Analysis 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  Moderate Arabic daily Al-Qabas ran a small analytical article on 
the election results.  It listed four trends emerging from the 
election results: 
 
-- First, the election of Kuwaiti women to Parliament. 
 
-- Second, the return of so-called "escalation members" of 
Parliament; i.e. MP Mohammad Hayef Al-Mutairi. 
 
-- Third, consistency in the number of seats held by some political 
blocs; i.e. the Democratic Coalition. 
 
-- Fourth, gain of seats by Shiite candidates. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Online Magazines and Blogs Weigh in on Results 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶5. (U) On Saturday, May 16, before any announcement of elections 
results, owner and publisher of the Al-Aan online magazine, Dr. Saad 
Bin Tiflah Al-Ajmi (former Minister of Information and a liberal 
political activist), opined: "the major change in the 2009 
Parliament in my opinion will be by women entering the Parliament 
dome for first time in history.  This is a step that will change a 
great deal of social principles, and will be a first step on a long 
road to allow women to play a bigger role in many areas in Kuwait." 
(http://www.alaan.cc/pagedetails.asp?nid=3346 6&cid=47)  Al-Aan's 
 
KUWAIT 00000500  002 OF 002 
 
 
online reporting of election results focused on two issues.  One, 
the nine seats won by Shiite candidates, pointing out that this is 
18 percent of the total seats in Parliament.  Two, the two-seat loss 
experienced by both ICM and the Salafi bloc.  The latter, Al-Aan 
reported, saw its Parliamentary representation cut in half; from 
four seats to two. 
 
¶6.  Bloggers began their comments on the election results by 
congratulating female candidates for their victory: 
 
-- Exombiesm (liberal, http://www.exzombiesm.com) wrote: "Maasouma, 
Salwa, Rola and Aseel, congratulations for breaking the monopoly. 
However, it is now time for you to prove that you deserve the seat 
that you won." 
 
-- Ma6goog (liberal, http://www.ma6goog.com) congratulated all the 
women who won and also consoled Thekra Al-Rashidi, who was close to 
a win in the fourth constituency, a largely tribal area.  The 
blogger blamed the [tribal] primaries for al-Rashidi's failure. 
 
-- Al-Tarek (Islamist blogger, member of ICM, 
http://www.altariq2009.com) announced ICM's failure in this election 
and called for ICM to change to the "right" methodology and 
ideology.  He concluded that those who won were able to do so 
because the ICM failed in its behavior and strategy. 
 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
 
JONES