VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHYN #1595 2380933
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260933Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY SANAA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2663

UNCLAS SANAA 001595 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR NEA/ARP AMACDONALD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM YM
SUBJECT: AGAINST ALL ODDS: GPC, JMP AGREE THAT YEMENI WOMEN 
NEED AN ELECTORAL QUOTA 
 
REF: SANAA 1558 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  In an August 19 event on women's 
political participation in Yemen hosted by the Embassy, 
members of the ruling General People's Congress (GPC) and the 
opposition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) came to a rare 
consensus that a women's quota as part of a proportional list 
electoral system was the best hope for near-term improvement 
regarding women's involvement in the political sphere. 
Attendees decried the social, educational and religious 
barriers that keep Yemeni women from full participation, and 
both ruling and opposition leaders pledged to include the 
"women's issue" in deliberations for the 2011 parliamentary 
elections.  It is important that both parties work together 
to implement this rare consensus decision if and when the 
GPC-JMP dialogue resumes.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Men and women leaders of the ruling General 
People's Congress (GPC) and opposition Joint Meeting Parties 
(JMP), journalists and members of civil society turned out 
for an August 19 event entitled "The Yemeni Woman and the 
2011 Elections," organized by the Embassy.  In her opening 
remarks, the DCM highlighted the important role that women 
play in the development of democratic societies, and the need 
for Yemeni women to participate more fully in the democratic 
process.  In a 90-minute discussion moderated by the National 
Democratic Institute, a majority of the usually fractured 
political community agreed that a system of proportional 
representation ) to include a women's quota ) was the best 
near-term method for advancing the role of women in Yemeni 
politics.  "Past elections have failed everyone, not just the 
women.  The current electoral system prevents a large part of 
society from participating in the political process," said 
Nasserite Party Secretary General Sultan al-Atwany. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Although most attendees agreed that the women's 
issue needed to be addressed through electoral reform, 
details differed between and within parties.  Khadija 
al-Khateri, a GPC leader in Sana'a, insisted that without a 
specific women's quota, the proportional list would fail 
Yemeni women.  Former head of the Yemeni Journalists' 
Syndicate Abdulbari Taher said that a proportional list 
should include quotas for many groups ) from the tribes to 
women and other marginalized peoples.  Women leaders of Islah 
said that the proportional list would improve representation 
across the board, by first allowing Islah's male leadership 
to be elected to office, followed by the party's women 
members.  According to JMP spokesman and Baath Party leader 
Naif al-Qanas, a 15 percent quota for women should be the 
minimum allotment.  Islah Assistant Secretary General and MP 
Mohammed al-Sadi, however, disagreed that a women's quota is 
the solution.  "A quota is like charity.  Yemen women should 
struggle to get their rights," he said.  Sadi, however, later 
agreed to set a schedule for women's participation in the 
GPC-JMP dialogue.  (Note: The two parties are currently in a 
political stalemate with no formal dialogue taking place, but 
observers hope it will resume after the Ramadan holiday.  End 
Note.)  The JMP has a women's committee as part of its 
National Dialogue (reftel), which will push for the inclusion 
of the women's issue in any electoral reforms. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Members of the ruling party and opposition agreed 
that the socio-political environment ) including family, the 
tribes, income and education ) was stacked against Yemeni 
women, and even major strides in electoral reform would not 
necessitate political gains for the female population.  Taher 
added that the Friday sermons in Salafi mosques and the 
country's hyper-conservative religious culture were a major 
part of the problem.  Yemeni Socialist Party Women's Sector 
Head Wahbia Sabra worried that if the parties only focused on 
the political problem while ignoring the educational and 
cultural challenges, Yemeni women would still struggle for 
full participation in the democratic process.  "It's not 
possible to solve all of the problems of women with a simple 
change to the Constitution," she said. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Women political leaders must use the current hiatus 
in dialogue between the GPC and JMP to press their parties' 
leadership for policies regarding women.  With both sides in 
general agreement on the need for a proportional list system, 
to include a women's quota, the time is ripe for pushing 
forward a much-needed electoral amendment on women's 
political participation.  Women, and sympathetic party 
leaders, need to be ready to hit the ground running when 
dialogue (hopefully) resumes post-Ramadan.  END COMMENT. 
SECHE