Women in Parliament Coalition warns of boycotting legislative elections

Coinciding with the Cabinet meeting yesterday, the Women in Parliament Coalition staged a peaceful sit-in at Riad el Solh to protest the absence of women from the electoral Laws currently under deliberation. The Coalition demanded that the women quota be adopted and observed in the distribution of constituencies and Parliamentary seats, as well as in the projected elections system (by 30% at least), in addition to women’s participation in all the meetings of the Parliamentary committees mandated with devising the electoral laws. The minister of women’s affairs, Jean Ogassapian, who was present at the sit-in, reiterated that the participation of women in political life and in leadership posts is “not a luxury or formality”. Women, he said, represent an enormous educational, intellectual and legal asset whose presence is mandatory inside the Parliament, the government and in all decision-making positions, he added. Ogassapian said he supports women representative voices and believes that the upcoming governments should include 30% of women participation quota. Similarly, former minister, Wafaa Diqa Hamzeh, made clear that this protest action is only the beginning. For her part, civil activist and university professor, Rita Chemaly, read an appeal on behalf of the Coalition to members of Parliament to this effect, urging women across Lebanon to boycott the elections should the new electoral law disregard the above quota. 

)Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, February 2, 2017)