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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A newly launched women's party in Iraq is seeking to contest the next parliamentary elections through a campaign focused on women empowerment, its leader said Tuesday, with the party having already garnered over 7,000 members.
The al-Mawadda Women's Party is aiming to become a distinctive and influential voice for women in Iraq's male-dominated and conservative political arena, Jihan al-Taei, its secretary-general and founder, told Rudaw.
'Women constitute more than half of Iraqi society. Our party was established due to the marginalized role of women and their genuine exclusion from all areas of life, especially from decision-making,' she said.
According to Taei, plans for the party's establishment began two years ago and its opening procedures were carried out through instructions of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).
But men are also included in its ranks, as Iraqi law mandates that one-third of any party's membership must be male. Al-Mawadda aims to shift this balance by empowering women and placing them in decision-making roles, Taei explained.
She said the large number of new members came 'without promotional campaigns, but rather as a result of people's belief in the necessity of having a women's party that expresses women's aspirations.'
The party's membership includes people from across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Its headquarters is in Baghdad, with plans to open offices in other provinces as its base grows.
Al-Taei said the party faced delays of more than two years in securing official licensing - including seven months at the Accountability and Justice Commission - which prevented it from participating in previous elections.
It now plans to contest upcoming elections and is working to organize awareness workshops and launch an online portal for media membership.
She added that the party has received support from several parties, including the Communist Party, as well as from civil society organizations that took part in the founding conference. However, it has yet to establish formal cooperation with traditional parties.
Iraq will hold parliamentary elections on November 11.
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