A British-educated civil servant has become the first-ever female to serve as an elected member of Bahrain's parliament. Eighteen women are among 221 candidates vying for seats in the 40-member assembly in the Nov. 25 vote. But Lateefa al-Geood was the only candidate who registered to run in her region, meaning she has already technically won a seat, Bahrain's official news agency said. "I'm very proud as a Bahraini woman to reach this point, and I hope more than one female candidate reaches the parliament," al-Geood told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Thirty-one women ran in municipal and parliamentary elections in 2002, but failed to win any seats
