It started well. During 2003, consultations began on a new Constitution. It was drafted and approved by more than 500 people’s representatives in early 2004. The Constitution stated that the men and women of Afghanistan were entitled to equal rights. And it reserved a quota of around 25 per cent of parliamentary seats for women.
When Hamid Karzai was elected President in October 2004, more than 40 per cent of voters were women. They went to the polls hoping for democracy and equality. Parliamentary elections for the lower and upper houses were held a year later, the proportion of women MPs elected reaching an impressive 28 per cent.
