Frozan Fana (born 1969[1]) is an Afghan medical doctor who was a candidate in the 2009 Afghan presidential election.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Her running mate was Mohammad Nasim Darmand.[8][9] She had never held political office before. However, she is the widow of Abdul Rahman, the assassinated Afghan Aviation Minister.
Frozan Fana | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969 (age 54–55) |
| Nationality | Afghan |
| Occupation | Orthopaedic surgeon |
| Known for | Candidate for President of Afghanistan in 2009 |
Fana is an Orthopaedic surgeon.[8]
Fana was criticized for using campaign posters that had her picture on it.[3]
One other woman was a candidate for president in 2009, Shahla Atta.[8] She was already a member of the Wolesi Jirga, Afghanistan's National Legislature. After Massouda Jalal came sixth out of eighteen presidential candidates in 2004 then President Hamid Karzai appointed her Afghan Women's Affairs Minister.
According to Rosie DiManno, writing in the Toronto Star, Fana had difficulty campaigning due to her gender.[5] Fana described being ignored by security officials, when asked for security details when she scheduled public meetings, so much of her campaign revolved around inviting guests to her home.
DiManno described Fana's concerns that her husband had been murdered by elements within Karzai's administration, who saw him as a potential candidate for president.[5]
DiManno quoted Fana on the difficulties Fana enoountered acting as high-profile woman who could serve as a role-model to other women:[5] "These men don't even want me to practise as a doctor. There is so much risk for women, so much violence against them in their own homes. Who cares? Not the men in power. They do nothing.
Preliminary voting results placed Fana eighth in a field of thirty-two.[10] The 8,159 votes for Fana represented less than 0.5% of the total votes cast.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Contender Biographies - Pajhwok Exclusive Elections Website". Pajhwokelections.af. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
- ^ "Two Female Candidates For Afghan Presidency". Zelda Lily. 2009-08-10. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07.
- ^ a b Zarghuna Kargar (2009-08-13). "Afghan women strive to be heard". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
- ^ "A Woman's Place Is in the Council Chambers: Radio Programming Inspires Afghan Women to Run for Office". Internews. 2009-05-13. Archived from the original on 2009-05-19.
- ^ a b c d Rosie Dimanno (2009-08-15). "Taking on Afghanistan's patriarchy: Two women seeking presidency subjected to smears and hostility in fight for reform". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2009-08-16.
- ^ "Candidates' Stories Reflect Afghanistan's Struggle". National Public Radio. 2009-07-30. Archived from the original on 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ^ "2 women vie for Afghan presidency". Associated Press. 2009-08-05.[dead link]
- ^ a b c Heidi Vogt (2009-05-08). "Shahla Atta, Frozan Fana: 2 Women Among Those Vying For Afghan Presidency". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2009-09-09.
- ^ "Madam President in Afghanistan?". Agence France Presse. 2009-05-15. Archived from the original on 2010-04-17.
- ^ a b "Preliminary Result of Afghanistan Presidential Contest". Sabawoon online. 2009-08-20. Archived from the original on 2009-08-03.