CAIRO (Marwa Awad)
A Christian woman made history after being appointed as the first female mayor in Egypt in the predominately Christian Asyut governorate.
The 53-year-old Eva Habil Kerolos was appointed mayor of Kambuha by Minister of Interior Affairs Habib Adley on Monday after winning the position over five men in the village roughly 400 kilometers (248 miles) south of Cairo.
Asked about the most urgent issue at hand now that she is mayor, Kerolos said the environment topped her list.
"I plan to work with the residents and officials on improving the environment of the countryside which has suffered in the past decades due to lack of urban planning and sufficient health regulations," she said.
In an interview with AlArabiya.net, Kerolos spoke of her years of commitment to the residents of her village when she assisted her father, who held the post of mayor of Kambuha since 1951.
"I helped my father look after the village since 1990 when his health began to deteriorate. I always wanted to be mayor and was certain that I had the capacity to do so," she told AlArabiya.net, adding that her love for politics developed from childhood as she grew up watching and learning from her father.
Prior to the mayoral win Kerolos was an active member of the ruling al-Watani Party, or National Democratic Party, where she held the post of Secretary of Women's Affairs in her village.
She said her political engagement within the party propelled her to contribute to civil society, especially enhancing political participation for women and combating illiteracy among residents of the countryside. |
The villagers of Kambuha who supported Kerolos as their mayor greeted the news of her appointment with joy and elation at the historic win.
"We are happy because she is a hard working woman who is well known among us and has helped the people here for many years," a villager named Mena told al-Arabiya.net.
Historically, only men were appointed as mayors in Egypt. |
