Minister Ezzideen in favour of women’s quota and a new action on 17th February

Concurrent with the ongoing debate on upcoming electoral law, the Minister of State for Administrative Development, Inaya Ezzideen, repeated on Saturday her full commitment to the adoption of a women representation quota. Ezzideen was speaking in the Beqaa during a ceremony convened by Amal Movement on the occasion of the Arab Women’s Day. “If an electoral law based on proportional representation is seen as conducive to equal representation of all political and confessional entities, then a women quota will undoubtedly be a prelude to women’s participation in political life” Ezzideen stated. This situation, the minister explained, will herald a political atmosphere that recognizes a comprehensive participation of men and women, not only in voting, but also in decision making, as she said. For her part, the vice-president of the Lebanese Women’s Affairs Association, Randa Berri, urged the Lebanese people to contemplate and acknowledge the importance of women’s contribution to politics, economy and development issues, noting that the women’s quota is mandatory in any forthcoming elections law, regardless of its structure. Berri reiterated the full support of the House Speaker, Amal Movement and the Liberation Parliamentary Bloc to a quota (not less than 30%). On the mobilization front, the Lebanese Council of Women (LCW) announced that it will organize a meeting on Friday, February 17, 11 am, at the LCW premises in Shwayfat, to be followed by a demonstration by women to the town’s municipal serial, to urge concerned politician to work on the subject. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, February 11, 12, 13, 2017)