MP Mkheiber submits a draft law that gives married women the right to run for elections in ‎their original place of birth

In cooperation with the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW), MP Ghassan ‎Mkheiber submitted to the Parliament yesterday a draft law that gives married woman the right ‎to run for elections at her place of birth before marriage. The NCLW has prepared the text of the ‎bill, which is an adjustment of the current municipality bill, and which ends the discrimination ‎against married women in this respect. To note, that by virtue of the provisions of the law in ‎effect, the membership of a woman at the municipal board ends with her relocation, and ‎therefore, the transfer of her registry, to her husband’s birthplace upon her marriage. Therefore, ‎the proposed draft considers that the current law is in contradiction with the Lebanese ‎Constitution which states full equality between citizens, as well as with the International ‎Declaration of the Human Rights and relevant UN agreements and conventions to which ‎Lebanon is a party. It calls for the elimination of the “provision that requires mentioning the name ‎of the candidate who wishes to become a member of the municipal board on the electoral list ‎because it is not in the interest of married women candidates whose names have been removed ‎from the list after moving their registry outside the constituency as a result of marriage.” (Al ‎Mustaqbal, April 12, 2016)‎