The four women elected to Kuwait’s parliament are listed here. The vote figures are initial returns, with ranking and vote totals subject to change as results are finalized.

Massouma Al Mubarak
1st District, first place, 14,247 votes

Massouma Al Mubarak holds a Ph.D. in the philosophy of international relations from the University of Denver (Colorado) as well as master’s degrees in international relations and political science, a diploma in planning and a bachelor’s degree in political sciences. She has been a lecturer since 1982 at Kuwait University and a visiting professor at the University of Denver (1986-1988) and the University of Bahrain (1990-1991). She became Kuwait's first female minister when she was appointed minister of planning and state minister for administrative development affairs in 2005. She was appointed minister of communications in 2006 and minister of health in 2007.

Dr. Salwa al Jassar
2nd District, 10th place, 4,776 votes

Dr. Salwa al Jassar holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the United States as well as a master's degree in education and a bachelor’s in geography from Kuwait University. She is an assistant professor at Kuwait University's College of Education. She recently served as an adviser to the United Nations Development Programme office in Kuwait. She is also a member of the Board of Education-Faculty of Education at Kuwait University as well as a board member of the Kuwait Transparency Society and president of the Women’s Empowerment Center.

Aseel al Awadhi
3rd District, second place, 11,860 votes

Aseel al Awadhi holds a Ph.D. in political philosophy from the University of Texas and a bachelor’s degree with a minor in political science from Kuwait University. She was a member of Amnesty International in 1988-1991 and a volunteer at the Kuwaiti Society for Victims of War in 1991-1993. She has been lecturer at Kuwait University's Arts College since 2006.

Rola Dashti
3rd District, seventh place, 7,666 votes

Rola Dashti holds a Ph.D. in population economy from Johns Hopkins University in the United States. She held a number of consultative positions in companies and is chairperson of Kuwait Economic Society, the first woman to hold that post since the society was founded in 1970. In 2005, she was the winner of the King Hussein Humanitarian Award and has been involved in several volunteer activities since her undergraduate years, when she worked with the International Red Cross in Lebanon to assist refugee families from the south in 1982. She was listed among the world’s 100 most influential Arabs for 2007 and 2008.

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Published on May 22, 2009