Women on the move: Lebanon’s municipal elections see surge in female candidates

Report by Ghida Fayad, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

As of today, statistics show that around 3,000 women from various regions of Lebanon are preparing to run in the upcoming municipal elections scheduled for May.

This figure marks a significant development compared to when municipal elections were held in previous years.

In the 2010 municipal elections, 1,349 women ran as candidates—accounting for just 5.6% of the total 24,041 candidates. 

Of those, 536 women won seats out of 11,424 winners, representing 4.7%, according to data from Information International.

In 2016, the number of female candidates rose slightly to 1,508 out of 21,932 total candidates, or 6.8%. Among them, 661 women were elected out of 12,139 winners—making up 5.4%.

This year’s elections are expected to see a further increase in women running for office, especially following the 2017 amendment to Clause 2 of Article 25 of the Municipal Law. The revision grants married women the right to run for municipal council in their town of origin, not just in their husband’s town.

The change is seen as a step toward strengthening women’s political participation. Still, even if women’s presence in municipal councils doubles, it will remain far from the desired level. Could a gender quota be the answer?