In a country where women comprise less than 5 percent of parliament, 118 women candidates created cracks in the political glass ceiling, vying for a broader representation in the 128-seat male-dominated Lebanese public office in the general elections on May 15.
The unprecedented number of women running for legislative seats accounted for a staggering 37 percent uptick from the 86 who ran in 2018. It came a long way compared to the paltry number of 12 and 4 who ran in 2009 and 2005, marking a rising wave of interest among Lebanese women to throw their hat into the ring and run for office.
Men still make up the bulk of candidates on the 103 electoral lists – at around 84 percent – and evoked mixed reactions among voters and experts. Some see no reason to celebrate, while many onlookers were urging people to hone in on the impressive qualitative turnout rather than the numerical, which panned out despite a substantial absence of national effort and a gender quota to support women in politics.
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“Women's presence in today's elections is earnest, stronger, and well-balanced, regardless of the number,” the Arab Women Organization director-general, Fadia Kiwan, told Al Arabiya English. “This qualitative change and surge in women candidates that I insist we are witnessing are more crucial than the numerical change.”
Kiwan has been examining developments in the local media and its perception of women candidates and noticed an improved effort to give women more television air time compared to 2018.
A special show called 50/50 has been hosting women candidates on the local television channel LBCI, shedding light on their electoral campaigns and providing them a space to discuss and take political stances.
“The stump speech of many women candidates from various electoral lists is substantive, with strong content, and concerned with the political and social issues in a profound way,” Kiwan signaled. “It is clear that there is an effort, deliberation, and precision on these women's part.”
Incorporated in the healthcare force and fighting for healthcare rights, including those of the marginalized populations’ members, is a staple in Nuhad Doumit’s career and activism. One of the many achievements attributed to the 64-year-old nurse is lobbying for the Order of Nurses, established in 2002.
The activist-turned-parliamentary candidate, is running on the Beirut Al-Taghyeer list in the Beirut II (West Beirut) district. She first ran for the legislative elections in 2018 on the civil society list Kulluna Beirut, but failed to pass the electoral threshold.
“It was a daring experience, for a woman and a nurse, to say that I am a free person who believes in democracy and one’s competence – not gender, sect nor age – to do what they have set out to do,” Doumit said. “My candidacy went very well considering that I was on a list facing the traditional leaders’ lists, with no money, no media exposure, and no support.”
Today, she braces for a similar tough fight.
Despite Lebanon’s reputation for being a liberal enclave within the Arab world fostering a progressive image, the middle eastern nation, reeling from compounding crises for the past two years, ranked 147th out of a total of 149 countries in 2018, based on the Global Gender Gap Index. It was one of the lowest rates of women's political representation in the region.
The number of women elected in the last five general elections, which varied between three to no more than six out of 128 seats, tells the story of the abysmal female representation in legislative bodies and the slow and lopsided progress in enhancing their participation over the years.
Joelle Abou Farhat, the co-founder of fiftyfifty, an organization that lobbies for gender parity in all political arenas and elected councils, said that the patriarchal and sexist mindset in certain districts deems women not cut out for politics. Only male candidates are taken seriously, which is an issue that requires time to reform.
“It's a historic number to us,” Abou Farhat said. “This is the first time in the history of Lebanon that 118 women are on electoral lists running for in the parliamentary elections.”
“If we see this as a political marathon, women in Lebanon are 30 years behind, and we are telling them to run alongside men in this marathon,” Abou Farhat stated. “For the past three decades, and even more than that, women were barred from participating in the political life because of the wars that Lebanon experienced and all the aggravated political problems where the ultimate decision in the country lies in the man's hands alone.”
Women were at the heart of and played a paramount role in the Lebanese October 17 popular uprising in 2019, which experts say has propelled this surge in women candidates. It was in addition to demanding all-encompassing gender and human rights, steering the narrative, and calling for landmark protests such as the women-led demonstration marching from Ain el-Remmaneh to Chiyah – strongholds of opposing religious factions – where people took a stand against sectarian-fueled violence. They managed to hold decision-making positions within organizing bodies during the protests.
Securing fair and equal political representation for women has become a central focus for many developing political parties and movements that emanated from the revolution.
Having been convinced that she could never put her political expertise to work with any of her country’s traditional parties who would dictate what she is capable of, consultant and business pioneer Gistelle Semaan found her place with the National Bloc during the uprising. Founded in 1946, the democratic and secular party refused to partake in the civil war and was revived in early 2019.
The 31-year-old candidate, who is running on the Shamaluna list in the North III district, said that in addition to her plan to reform the economic, social and judicial sector, she will endeavor to legislate laws governing personal status, legal marriage age, gender quota and women's ability to pass on their nationality upon marriage.
“I want my successful personal career to be mirrored in a true political change,” Semaan told Al Arabiya English. “I have the utmost belief that I can contribute to this change and work for the benefit of my country; I am capable of achieving anything I set my mind to.”
Out of the 118 women candidates, only six are affiliated with a political party, Abou Farhat said. “Political parties around the world have a vital role to play when it comes to including women in elections, where many times they create a gender quota within the party, but this role in Lebanon is absent today.”
A couple of gender quota bills calling for around 20 percent reserved parliamentary seats for women divided equally between Muslims and Christians and coupled with at least 40 percent of women on candidates lists were developed and then shelved by a joint parliamentary committee, citing “technical loopholes.”
“The political decision allowing women to participate in political life has not been taken yet, and a high-level decision is pivotal for women’s participation in politics,” said Nada Anid, founder of Madanyat, a local organization that pushes for equitable participation of women, men, and youth in political and public life.
“It’s not something that only NGOs can achieve,” Anid added.
Both Anid and Abou Farhat do not expect a big turnout in women becoming members of parliament. The woman who does not make it into parliament should not be touted as a weak candidate, Anid insisted, because she is not offered the same means and opportunities as her male counterpart.
Barriers such as deep-rooted bias, low exposure, and budget restrictions play a role in blocking female candidates.
“Women in Lebanon remain subservient to men,” Doumit said. “They still need extensive training in empowerment, advocacy, and leadership. We need to push them to take the lead in different matters in life, such as speaking up, establishing financial independence, demanding their rights, and occupying political positions that are usually male-dominated.”
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