Hala Shukrallah’s Winning of the Constitution Party’s presidency Broke the Masculine Circles that don’t Consider women as a Main Partner in the Nation-Building

(Cairo February 23rd, 2014) In a light of fair elections that were held in the Constitution party, Dr. Hala Shukrallah won as the party’s presidency with a percentage 53%.
This result is a positive change in the values of society. As the Members of General Assembly of the party decided to elect a Coptic woman candidate, this is considered as a positive step in the pathway of democratic transition in general and women’s political rights in particular. Also, it is a practical application for the principle of citizenship and equality as stipulated in the international conventions and the Constitution.
This winning is considered as the winning of the Egyptian revolution’s values whether January 25, 2011 or June 30, 2013 where women went out and struggled for long decades to obtain their political rights. Dr. Hala’s winning is not a personal victory as much as victory for the Egyptian women and her ability compete fairly if the political parties’ life were objective and healthy.
The participation in the political parties is a core component of women’s political participation and a step towards participating in the decision-making, as there is no participation from Egyptian women in any of the partial meetings with decision makers at any serious discussions on the nation’s affairs or any legislation because the invitations of such meetings are limited to the heads of political parties. Consequently, Dr. Hala Shukrallah’s winning broke the masculine circles that lack gender perspective or even dealing with women as a main partner in the nation.
Therefore, ECWR welcomes the winning of Dr. Shukrallah of the Constitution party’s presidency and we are trust that she is a strong voice for the concerns of the nation in general and the Egyptian women in particular.