by Dana Halawi
BEIRUT, April 7 (Xinhua) -- An unprecedented number of 118 women are running for the elections of the 128-seat Lebanese parliament scheduled for May 15, a move hailed by many as a significant step toward restoring hope for change in a country beset by political and economic troubles.
The number of women running in the parliamentary elections grew by about a third from the previous elections in 2018, when 86 women participated. There are 718 candidates competing for parliamentary seats this year.
The outbreak of COVID-19 and the deadly Beirut blasts on Aug. 4, 2020 have further exacerbated Lebanon's multi-faceted crises, gravely impacted the already vulnerable population, most notably women, which is a factor encouraging a rising number of female candidates to run for parliamentary elections, according to Wadih el Khazen, president of the central maronite council and former minister of tourism in Lebanon.
"We have seen disappointing outcomes with the policies adopted over the past years in Lebanon. Why not give women a chance to contribute to lawmaking, as female legislators have done in other countries? Women have proved to be capable of playing a vital role in other countries' political affairs," he told Xinhua.
Women have virtues that will enable them to do a good job in parliament, according to Layal Bou Moussa, a candidate running on behalf of Shamaluna, an alliance of independent groups in north Lebanon.
With their hardwork, serious approaches, and strong commitment to principles and values, women can become a main driver of change in Lebanon, she said.
Women go to great lengths to safeguard their reputation and career, and they are likely to take a strong stance against corruption, a major concern of Lebanese society, according to Moussa.
Zeina Majdalani, a candidate standing for the National Dialogue party in Beirut, believes that more female legislators in the parliament could exert a positive influence.
Women might be more conscious of the great role that good social services in education, healthcare and others have on their children and future generations, and would place great emphasis on public welfare if they get elected, according to Majdalani.
Lebanon's parliament has yet to implement an electoral gender quota that would increase women's participation in politics, casting uncertainty on whether the electoral environment would change in 2022.
However, the circumstances under which the elections will be held in Lebanon are different from past ones. The country now is grappling with crises on political, economic and financial fronts. The impact of a sharp depreciation in the local currency and a deteriorating economic crisis has been felt by most Lebanese.
"Women today have become more active in emerging movements and political parties, which partially explains why there are an increasing number of female candidates in the upcoming elections," said Joelle Abou Farhat, co-founder of Fiftyfifty, an NGO that aims to achieve gender equality in political life.
Women in Lebanon still face a lack of representation in state institutions and political marginalization, according to El Khazen, who advocated for setting women's quota to secure female participation in parliament.
Late last year, Member of Parliament Chamel Roukoz filed a proposal to set a new quota for women in the parliament. The National Commission for Lebanese Women, which prepared the proposal and gave it to Roukoz, was motivated by the fact that only six women were elected to the country's 128-member parliament in 2018, accounting for only 4.7 percent of total number of parliamentarians.
However, the proposal has not been reviewed by the parliament.
El Khazen said he is optimistic about the increasingly important role of women in the upcoming elections and calls for more support for female candidates in the future, so that the country will benefit from their skills.
The country needs female parliamentarians who wish to work toward individuals' liberty and happiness, and bring about change to the society, said Joelle Abou Farhat. ■
