Source: The Tripoli Post
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.”
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.”