CAIRO: Libyan women's group Women4Libya (W4L) has called for the modification of proposed draft election laws, citing shortcomings in the proposed law, which is set to be published on Sunday by the National Transitional Council's (TNC) Electoral Commission. Women in Libya, who were essential in the conflict that toppled the regime of former leader Muammar Ghaddafi earlier this fall, are concerned that their voices will not be heard in the formation of the country's new government. An initial 10 percent quota for women in the 200-seat General National Congress, a newly formed political body, has been omitted entirely in the pending electoral law. The group had expressed too that even a 10 percent quota is “undeniably insulting, when more than half the population are female and participated equally in the revolution.” In a press release, W4L expressed that they are “are shocked to discover that there is now no quota at all, leaving them at even greater risk of exclusion.” “The drafting team of eight should have included women representatives and the whole process been more transparent,” said Sara Maziq, a founder of the group. W4L proposed a minimum 40 percent quota for women in Congress. “Libyan women, like men, aspire to a stable and democratic Libya with participation in all aspects of decision-making. The precedent for elections in post-conflict countries is minimum quotas for women of at least 30% – 40%. Even Iraq and Afghanistan had a minimum 25% quota for women,” she continued. The group also called for the formation of clearly delineated electoral districts and the outlining of clear conditions for candidate qualification. They also called for more transparency and communication from within the TNC. Abir Dajani Tuqan, another member of the women's group, said that the proposed legislation “does not reflect the spirit of Islam.” To combat the proposed election procedures, the W4L has circulated a petition that has accumulated more than 3,000 signatures against the bill. Additionally, Libyan citizens are unhappy that voter eligibility excludes people who are living abroad. “There is a risk now that those forced into exile during the regime will be ineligible to stand for office or vote just when Libya needs all the talent it can muster to rebuild a New Libya,” Sara Maziq of W4L explained. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/5YYSh Tags: featured, Libyan elections, National Transitional Council, Women4Libya Section: Latest News, Libya, Women
