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Spotlight: All-women list shakes up Lebanon's traditional electoral scene
From:Xinhua  |  2018-04-25 20:04

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By Salah Takieddine

BEIRUT, April 25 (Xinhua) -- As Lebanon's 2018 elections go on in full swing, an all-women electoral list has been formed in the northern border province of Akkar by five candidates who refuse to be placed in male-dominated lists on which it is unlikely for them to win.

Rola Al-Murad, head of the all-women electoral list and founder of the 10452 party, said the aim of forming the list is to "create a positive shock on Lebanon's political scene."

Al-Murad told Xinhua that the five female candidates on the list are three lawyers Souad Salah, Nidal Skaff and herself, two activists Golai Al-Assaad and Marie Khoury.

She said they are running for three Sunni seats, one Maronite seat and one Greek Orthodox seat in the electoral district.

Al-Murad said at first she tried to form an electoral list that excludes the current political parties but in vain. So she decided to form a women-only list along with the other four candidates in an unprecedented move in the history of Lebanon's elections.

The female candidate said the list challenges the traditional electoral scene and shows the competence of women to participate in the political scene.

She said they have been supporting the role of women in the political life since 2014 and will go on with the campaign.

Al-Murad said the all-female electoral list counts on the support of the women in Akkar, but some wealthy candidates might buy votes which could make the campaign unfair.

She also revealed that their chances to win the election are slim as many of their male competitors will try to block their election campaign.

For the first time in the history of Lebanon, 111 women submitted their candidacies to the upcoming elections representing 14.89 percent of the total number of candidates which stood at 976.

In 2009, only 13 women ran in the elections. Among them, four inherited the political representation from their families and are current members of the Lebanese parliament.

Since 1953, only 15 women have been elected MPs though women take up 53 percent of the Lebanese society.

The election, due on May 6, is the first of its kind organized in Lebanon in nine years.

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