Rola Dashti

Rola Abdulla Dashti (; born 1964) is a Kuwaiti economist and business executive and former politician and minister. Dashti lobbied for the May 2005 decree permitting Kuwaiti women to run for parliamentary elections for the first time and was one of the first female MPs elected to the Kuwaiti parliament. She subsequently served as minister of state planning and development affairs and State Assembly affairs.

Early life Dashti was born to a Shi'ite Muslim family and has 23 siblings.

Career Dashti is CEO of FARO International, a financial services consultancy, and a board member of Damac Kuwaiti Holding Co. and then participated in the effort to bring about the release of Kuwaiti prisoners held by Iraq. She was the first woman elected president of the Kuwait Economic Society and the first woman ever elected to head a Kuwaiti professional association

Dashti lobbied for the May 2005 decree permitting Kuwaiti women to vote and run for parliamentary election. In 2006 and 2008 she did not win the election; in May 2009 she was one of the first four women elected to the Kuwaiti Parliament.

In parliament, Dashti chaired the social affairs, labor, and health committee. In October 2011, she was also appointed to the budget committee and the committee for responding to the Emir's speech.

Dashti was not reelected in 2012. she was reappointed that December.

Honors In 2005, Dashti won The King Hussein Humanitarian Award. She was listed by Arabian Business among their 100 most influential Arabs for 2007 and 2008.

In 2010, she won the North–South Prize alongside Mikhail Gorbachev.

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