Iraqi Parliament allocates 25% of its parliamentary seats for women:

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Parliament has allocated 25% of the total seats in its parliamentary committees for the Iraqi women, as part of their support and to help them play their role in the Parliament, its Speaker, Usama al-Nujeifi said on Saturday. The Parliament’s women component had protested against the absence of women in the new Iraqi government, but for one post, which was considered by their spokeswomen, Legislature Ala Talabani, in the Parliament’s session that witnessed the discussion of the new cabinet’s posts, as a “constitutional violation,” demanding the Iraqi President, Cabinet, Parliament and leaders of different political blocs, to treat the issue. A source in the Parliament’s media office, has stated on Saturday that the Parliament’s 17th session had began discussing its agenda, including the replacement of the former MPs with the newly-elected ones, selecting the permanent parliamentary committees, as well as the issue of the woman’s rights, pointing out that the session was attended by 242 out of the Parliament’s total 365 members. HSH (A) / SKH 142