Lebanese cabinet approves women's quota for municipal elections

By Malek Mohammad Mishbah in Beirut
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-02-02

[Malek Mohammad Mishbah] Lebanese Minister Ziyad Baroud met with women's groups last April as a first step towards change.

The Lebanese Cabinet last week adopted a 20% quota for women in municipal councils. The decision, adopted on January 29th, means that one-fifth of the members of each council in every city or village must be women.

The measure still needs the approval of Parliament, which is expected to convene before next June's elections to discuss all the reforms to the municipal elections law proposed by Ziyad Baroud, the Minister of Interior and Municipalities.

Baroud, who spoke with the media after the measure was approved, said that "adoption of the women's quota in the municipal elections law is positive discrimination and a first step towards wider participation of women in public life."

"If women do not run, the seats will be filled by men, and if there is no more than one female candidate, she will win by acclamation," he added.

In a statement on Saturday the Lebanese Women's Council praised Baroud's efforts in amending the municipalities law, especially regarding adoption of the quota. The Women's Council called on ministers and MPs to "approve this resolution because of women's experience and expertise in the management of municipal affairs."

But while the Women's Council welcomed the resolution, some women had reservations about it because it is contrary to the principle of equality.

"True, we look positively upon the principle of the quota approved by the Cabinet, but this principle is contrary to the Lebanese Constitution, which affirms the principle of equality between the sexes," Noha Al-Ghoseini, head of Baaqleen Municipality, told Al-Shorfa.

"The positive that we see in the resolution is that the traditional society in which we live does not provide [many avenues] for women to reach leadership positions unless they enjoy the backing of a leader or a political force," Al-Ghoseini said. "The women who want to reach [leadership positions] must work hard to prove their qualifications and earn society's confidence."

Al-Ghoseini hoped "this principle is not adopted in a continuous fashion, but rather is adopted for four or five sessions and no more".

"Lebanese women attained their right to vote and run in elections in 1952, and after 60 years we went back to the principle of the quota. This is somewhat offensive and abnormal in a democratic country enjoying equality."

Dr. Maha Zaraqit, a professor at the Graduate School of Journalism at the Lebanese University, shares Al-Ghoseini's perspective on the issue.

"In principle I do not agree with any kind of quota, including for women," she said. "But while following the activity of women's associations in Lebanon, and seeing the eagerness of many women's movements to establish themselves on the political map, I became convinced that they may not have access without a political decision to enforce their presence."

Zaraqit believes that the quota may constitute a first stage through which women can reach positions of authority and demonstrate their ability to provide a different experience.

"The problem in this context, in the absence of the adoption of proportional representation, is that the chances of women who are able to make a serious change in practice are few," she added.

"We know from the political reality on the ground who the actual powers are and how they choose their representatives for offices, so we cannot be very optimistic that they will choose women in a manner different from how they choose men: representatives who are committed to their leaders' decision without expressing a different position cannot make a difference in the existing structure, nor in political mobility."

"Women do not want to be there for decoration," she added."Rather, women are convinced of the importance of their presence in the positions they are running for and are capable of making a difference in the places where they will work. If there must be a quota, it should be accompanied by [proportional representation] so people choose their true representatives."

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