Libyan Women Slam Draft Election Law Giving Them Only 10% Share in Parliament 03/01/2012 09:10:00
The Libyan women have slammed a newly circulated draft election law that gives women only ten percent in parliament quota, and described as as “extremely dangerous.”
A press release by the Libyan Human Rights Alliance, LHRA, said that numerous civil society activists and organisations “find the Libyan Draft Election Law released on January 1 2012 by the National Transitional Council to be unreasonable.”
The release, a copy of which The Tripoli Post is in possession of, said that Article 1 in the Draft Law which maintained that there would a quota for women in parliament, was not clear and reads as if the quota will be limited to 10 per cent, or 20 out of 200 seats.
“The February 17 Revolution, which has led us to this democracy is a revolution where all people in Libyan society, men and women, rose against injustice, corruption and inhumanity and it is for this reason that the revolution should institute for a new society based on justice for all.
“The gains that Libyan women have achieved over these past months were not granted, nor could they be considered as good luck. They were the result of hard work, and struggle, and we demand that the rights of women in the political sector be met,” LHRA said in the release.
“As it is now, Libyan women currently make up over 50% of the population in Libya, and the idea that they will be strictly limited to only 20 seats is extremely outrageous,” it added.
The women alliance demanded “the National Transitional Council, to ensure that this upcoming election does not sideline Libyan women and it instead endorses them and supports their involvement in Libyan politics, not only on local levels but most importantly at a national level.”
The LHRA requests that the Draft Election Law readdresses Article 1. “It is much too vague”. It also warned that if the NTC fails to address these concerns positively they may resort to mobilising women to achieve these goals.
The LHRA’s release added that it is “eager to work on all fronts, political and civil, to shoulder the social and political responsibility at this critical point in the Libyan Women's Rights Movement. We are truly inspired by the many women who have given so much to the Libyan Women's Rights Movement, and to the February 17 Revolution.”
Comment: things should be read and understood on its basis and according to the exact wording , 1st its a draft , 2nd it guaranteeing at least 10% and does not quote a maximum of 10 % for women . there has been misunderstood and mistranslated , in my opinion , deliberately or not Im not sure
Name:gorille
Date: 01/03/2012 12:30:30
Comment: the women are the flowes for men and pelasur from gud with his love to us. is there any world without women? so plaise stop yoiur stupid ideas and bad thinking against women . we are all born free and thank,ds to women that we are here i mean us men. so stop your fanatisme , and your fatalisme against women.because of our mentality in the muslim world and in africa ,we can never develope our brain to became somthing like chines or europeens. we still have a major probleme with a sexe of women. please get smart or go the desert all of you and have a sleep for ever and never come back. i love freedom of men and women.the probleme of arabs and muslim is women . ha ha ha so stupid you are amigos . look to athor countries wath thez are doing. arabs and muslim thez can,y even produice theire food. wath about a lybien people ! can you amke bread home for your wives lazy men? are tolerant with your dotters and son,s? is there any dialog between you and your wives and your children? sick poeple .
Name:CALIFA
Date: 01/03/2012 15:15:09
Comment: please read
Name:Roald Bentzen
Date: 01/03/2012 16:55:05
Comment: I fail to understand why women quota need to be mentioned at all. It looks like Libyans are very primitive in their perception and therefor need primitive laws? Shame you!
Name:Mohamed Shamsun
Date: 01/03/2012 21:40:57
Comment: I have read the draft law and I don't see the cause of the women activists unhappiness. The draft law reserves 10% for women and does not forbid women from competing for the other 90%. It seems those unhappy women want to exclude men from the election altogether. Those unhappy women don't appreciate the fact that democracy means competing fairly for political power, and are afraid from practicing democracy. I have participated in organizing several conferences in post Ghaddafi Libya. I found it very hard to convince most Libyan women to lead or even to participate in the conferences, and it is not because of lack of ability or experience. I predict it is going to be difficult to fill those 10% reserved seats for women, not because of lack of qualified women, but because of lack of the will to face the harsh political life where officials get grilled daily to keep them honest. I highly recommend my sisters stop complaining and start working on organizing themselves for the elections. Nothing will please me more than seeing the best Libyan women take that reserved 10% of the seats and win a lot more. The only thing that will prevent them from winning seats is their lack of resolve to go through the hard work of competing for seats.
Name:web master
Date: 01/04/2012 07:52:36
Comment: Tripoli post print Gaddaffi supporter comments!
Name:Global Citizen
Date: 01/04/2012 08:38:00
Comment: Gaddaffi had faults and mistakes but war and overthrow is not the answer. He offered an election an people could have voted him out. NTC is a fraud and criminal and worse and whether Gaddaffi is killed or not it is not right to have a war to kill his family or him or his supporters and make unfair laws. This is unfair law and I support the people who protest and want this law changed.
Equal humane rights for everyone in the world.
Name:Mohamed Shamsun
Date: 01/04/2012 15:40:23
Comment: I support my sisters and express my deep resentment and disappointment with the draft law for elections. Does anyone know how to present counter arguments to the NTC? Is there a mechanism to send a feed back to the NTC? Or is the NTC infallible and does not care to hear counter arguments.
Name:amadikas
Date: 01/04/2012 17:33:55
Comment: With all due respect to the Libyan women, who I feel deserve all that one could wish for for what they have done during the eight months of the uprising, I feel they are doing it the wrong way this time. Of course they deserve more seats than the 20 they have been offered in a Libyan Parliament, but when I look around what is happening in the world, where democracy reigns, I don't see laws saying how many women a Parliament should have, or women claiming more seats by law. What happens in other countries is, that women fight an election alongside a political party and if the people are happy to vote for them they are elected. There are no numbers assigned. Whoever is elected gets a seat. I think the Libyan women should run on a party ticket with any party contesting the election, or if they want to, they can create their own party, and whoever gets the vote gets a Parliamentary seat. That is how democracy works, even though we could have a better world with women in Parliament. I wish that other Libyans also express their opinion on this.
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