First political debate by SMART Centre in Byblos amongst two women candidates

The SMART centre for communication organised last week a political debate which is the first in a series of debates it is planning to carry out in the different regions amongst women candidates.  This event was carried out in Byblos and brought together two candidates Josephine Zougheib and Nehmat Badereddine.
According to the project director, Silva Akl, the SMART Centre is seeking through its projects and training events to engage women in politics through building their capacity and that of their campaigning teams as well as changing stereotypes of women in Lebanon and the Arab world.  She also added that the project entitled Women Advocates for Women's Votes seeks to visibilise women as politicians as well as prepare electors to practice accountability vis-à-vis elected candidates.  Akl described the various stages of the project and noted that it has so far trained 41 women in various topics which will enable them to run successful political campaigns.
Source: Al-Nahar 17 June 2013