Yemen: Reactionary forces blamed for aborting women quota initiative

Sanaa: A Yemeni official accused 'reactionary forces' in his country of trying to discourage and prevent women from participating in public life.

Yahya Mohammad Abdullah Saleh, President Saleh's nephew, chairman of Al Takadum Forum, said the time has come to turn words into actions for women's political participation.

He called all parties and civil society organisations to do their best for having a new legislation allocating 15 per cent quota for women in decision-making positions.

"There have been attempts from reactionary forces in the society, in the ruling party and in opposition parties to abort the initiative of the president of the republic," Yahya Saleh said Sunday in a symposium organised by his Forum under the slogan (Let's work together to realise the initiative of the president to allocate 15 per cent quota for women).

The civil society activist, who also works officially as the head of country's central security forces, said that the best thing to do now is to work for turning the initiative of President Saleh on giving women 15 per cent quota into a legislation that can be implemented. "It seems that the women will be absent in the elections of governors in May," said Dr Raofa Hassan, member of the forum.

By Nasser Arrabyee, Gulf News