Narrative 4: Electoral Boycott
Case study: Pressure-Induced Withdrawal of Female Candidates
The monitoring identified seventeen female candidate accounts whose withdrawal from the electoral
race became focal points of high-engagement online discourse. Stated reasons for withdrawal
included commitment to fair competition and rejection of electoral crowding, personal considerations
in a hostile political climate, adherence to party or ideological leadership guidance, loss of confidence
in party integrity, weak internal party management and lack of support, rejection of symbolic or nonsubstantive candidacy, political repositioning within the quota-based system, and boycott of elections
perceived as corrupt or lacking legitimacy. These decisions were rarely treated online as legitimate
political judgments. Instead, withdrawal triggered coordinated patterns of gendered hostility that
framed disengagement as confirmation of women’s unsuitability for political life.
Analysis of a sample of comments from the monitored posts identified five categories of response:
Objectification and Appearance-Based Mockery, Financial Corruption and Opportunism Accusations,
Moral and Religious Ridicule, Delegitimization and Cynicism toward Female Participation, Political
Infantilization and Dismissive Humour as follows:
Objectification and Appearance-Based Mockery
Comments in this category reduced women's value to their looks, clothing, or physical traits rather
than engaging with their political decision to withdraw (Figure 30). Examples:
●
ونسحبن يا حلوه
قبضن
— شكدHow much did you get paid before you withdrew, pretty one?
ي
ي
●
أهتم بأضافرچ هاي الشغلة متفيد
— Focus on your nails; politics is not for you.
ي
●
— حرامات تنسحب حلوه هايShame that such a pretty one withdrew.
●
ر
ش خدود مصطنعه ال تزعلي
— ال يمعوده اهم يGirl, your fake cheeks are fine; don’t be upset.
● إنن حاطة المكياج مال نساء كركوك كله بوجهچ بعد ياهو يإل ينتخبچ
— إذا هو يYou’ve got all Kirkuk women’s
makeup on your face; who would vote for you?
Figure 30:
Sample of hate speech
comments
Such comments reinforce the view that women in politics are decorative rather than competent,
contributing to the normalisation of gendered dismissal in online political discourse.
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