In its issue of January 25, An Nahar published an interview with the founding member of the Forum for Women in Politics, the Arab Region, former Kurdish MP, Rezan Sheikh Dleir, on the sidelines of the launch of the forum’s third annual report on ‘The status of women in politics in the Arab region’ (https://bit.ly/37tHdER). Dleir pointed out that Lebanon’s October 17 Uprising could bring about remarkable progress in the status of women in terms of their access to political positions. This, she explained, was noted in the recent appointment of six female ministers in the new cabinet, including an unprecedented woman defense minister. Dleir stressed that the popular revolts in the country reflected a genuine need to hold early parliamentary elections. “Undoubtedly, the upcoming elections will make the desired progress in the victory of new faces, notably those of women,” Dleir said, adding that the representation quota is crucial for women’s partisan and political life. She strongly criticized the current Domestic Violence Law calling for the development and ratification of a special bill for the rights of women and children. (An Nahar, January 25, 2020)