Women candidates in municipal elections stand at 4% so far

Data released by the Ministry of Interior indicate that the candidacy of women in the municipal elections for Beirut and Beqaa areas has not exceeded 4% so far. According to the same source, the number of candidates for the membership of the municipal council in the capital stood at 114 candidates, 92 males against 22 females, i.e. 19.2%. For the position of ‘mukhtar’ (mayor), 226 candidates were recorded, including 216 men against only 10 women. Meanwhile, figures for Beqaa, have pointed out to 4,524 candidates, including 4,268 men against only 159 women candidates, (equivalent to 3.5%). (For more date, kindly visit the following link:  http://bit.ly/1Ti9Q8t)

In the same vein, An Nahar daily highlighted the strong presence of women in the battle for Beirut municipal elections, particularly on the ‘Beirut Madinati’ list. The latter, An Nahar noted, fully adhered to the principle of parity among men and women candidates through the nomination of 12 females coming from diverse professional backgrounds and affiliations. On the other hand, and according to An Nahar, the ‘Bayarti’ list, claims to have favored the professional background of candidates, thus only selecting three women (!?). On the other hand, the ‘Citizens within a State’ (Muwatinoon Wa Muwatinat Fi Dawla) civil and secular campaign decided to nominate only three women for the Baalbaq Municipality. On this subject, Al Akhbar daily interviewed the nominee Hadil Rifai who confirmed her running for elections for two reasons. The first reason is the extent of marginalization of women and their right to take part in public affairs and secondly, because historically Baalbaq was excluded from the development process, hence prompting her to propose a developmentally-oriented electoral program.

An Nahar, Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, Al Akhbar, April 29, 30, 2016

 

Previous related news: 

Bold women challenge patriarchal mindsets in municipal elections

http://bit.ly/1UvcYU2

Preliminary observations on women’s participation in 2016 municipal elections

http://bit.ly/1VUkDwH