LEBANON: FEMALE POLITICIANS AND CIVIL SOCIETY

UNCLAS BEIRUT 001664 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA ALSO FOR IO A/S HOOK, PDAS WARLICK P FOR DRUSSELL AND RRANGASWAMY USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/SCHEDLBAUER/GERMAIN NSC FOR ABRAMS/RAMCHAND/YERGER/MCDERMOTT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC LE SY SUBJECT: LEBANON: FEMALE POLITICIANS AND CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS: CHANGING THE SYSTEM SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Participants in a recent MEPI U.S. election observer program, representing women from both March 14 and the opposition, said education on political participation is needed to change Lebanese women's perception of politics as a "dirty game." At a November 19 lunch hosted by the Ambassador, the women urged changes to electoral, municipal, and family laws to encourage female representation in politics and ensure social equality. Participants noted that an atmosphere of security was necessary before Lebanese feel confident to vote for candidates based on qualifications and not sectarian or familial loyalty. They said change within the system was "impossible" and argued the need to change the system itself. Although they mentioned media campaigns as a positive first step to improve the image of women in politics, more practical plans are necessary before female involvement in politics becomes the norm. End summary. CHANGING IMAGE OF POLITICS THROUGH EDUCATION -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Recent participants of a MEPI-funded election observer trip to the United States, at a November 19 luncheon hosted by the Ambassador, focused on changing the way Lebanese women view politics. Participants said young women in Lebanon view politics as a "dirty game." Unless they can rely on extensive familial or political backing, women choose to avoid the intense scrutiny and criticism they see as inherent in the political process by not running in parliamentary elections. ¶3. (SBU) Change, participants noted, begins by educating women -- in the home, in schools, and through women leadership programs at the university level -- to involve themselves in politics; such projects are currently scarce. Young Lebanese, in general, also lack the motivation to stay in Lebanon; growing a culture of political activism through education could encourage young women to take political roles in their own country and not leave for better-paying jobs in Gulf countries, as is the current practice. Participants were struck during their trip to the U.S. that American citizens believed their individual votes mattered. Women in Lebanon need first to learn to vote based on their own viewpoint -- not that of their parents, husband, or confession -- and to be activists before they can be successful political candidates, they said. ¶4. (SBU) Dunia El-Khoury, head of an non-governmental organization (NGO) in Baalbeck and affiliated with Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces, noted women like herself are able to accomplish more through NGOs outside the bureaucratic, and corrupt, government system. Ferial Abu-Hamdan, a former member of the Shouf municipal council and allied with March 14, suggested women should first become active at the municipal level; she argued candidates at the local level are more likely to be elected based on technical skills than candidates for parliamentary elections. NEED TO CHANGE LEBANESE LAWS -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The women unanimously agreed that new electoral laws were required to increase female representation in politics. A quota setting the number of women in parliament would be especially helpful. (Note: Some, though not all, advocated introducing a women's quota into the recently passed electoral law. End note.) However, an "unofficial quota," namely through efforts by political leaders to include female candidates on their lists would perhaps, participants thought, begin to normalize the idea of women as parliamentary candidates. Abu-Hamdan argued the municipal election law -- which currently forbids relatives of municipal council members from campaigning for a spot themselves -- needs amending. Municipal laws also allocate voters by hometown, not current place of residence; this hinders technically-sound candidates with plans of work for their towns from beating candidates with money or more established positions. Additionally, Sleem Sumar, lawyer and member of Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, cited the need to change family laws to further social equality before advances are made in the political arena. SOVEREIGNTY AND SECURITY FIRST -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The need for security and sovereignty before major political change was a common refrain during the luncheon. The women noted that the Lebanese must feel confident that they will be protected by the state system before they vote for politicians based on ideas and platforms. They explained that daily needs are still addressed by sectarian leaders; voters will continue to vote for the leaders who provide them jobs, money, and protection until the state does. Participants stressed the Lebanese Armed Forces should be the only armed defender of the state. Participants opined that about 30 percent of Lebanese were unaffiliated with either March 14 or the opposition and would support honest, independent candidates. REDO THE SYSTEM -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Lamia Osseiran, an independent-pro March 14 social activist from a prominent Shi'a family, summed up the group's views when she called change within Lebanon's current sectarian system "impossible." She asserted that the Taif Accord, which ended Lebanon's fifteen-year civil war, failed in its intention of making government representation more fairly distributed among Sunni, Shia, and Christian sects. Instead, she said, Taif divided Lebanese society into confessions, making secularism impossible. No side would accept a secular representative since a certain number of sectarian representatives are allotted under the current system; a secular candidate would weaken the sect's voice in local and national politics. ¶8. (SBU) Ghada Al-Yafi, an independent and daughter of former Lebanese Prime Minister Abdallah El-Yafi with political aspirations for the 2009 parliamentary elections, offered a proposal -- supported around the table -- for the restructuring of the Lebanese political system. She argued that parliament, assigned to make laws for all Lebanese, should, in fact, make laws for all Lebanese. They should not focus on their particular region or sect when making laws for the whole country and should, therefore, not be elected solely by their home constituents. The cabinet would serve as the sectarian representative body and the parliament would be elected by all Lebanese. This would require that politicians do more than offer patronage to a select group to win office. Parliamentary candidates would need to appeal to a broad slice of Lebanon and, supposedly, have more qualifications for the role of lawmaker. Municipal councils -- elected from people living in the region -- would act as place of first complaint for local issues (a role currently held by party bosses and MPs). ¶9. (SBU) Al-Yafi said the sectarian makeup of the Lebanese system hindered women in particular, as party bosses. When faced with the choice of a male or a female for a specific seat in a specific system, rarely pick a female candidate. Until elections move away from hand-picking strong candidates for particular seats on party lists, women will be disadvantaged. ¶10. (SBU) Al Yafi and many other participants were impressed by the transparency in the electoral process they observed in the U.S. They named improvements in transparency as a first step to improving the quality of politics in Lebanon. The women, representing both sides of the Lebanese political spectrum, agreed that they preferred to work with or compete against honest people with different viewpoints than corrupt people with similar political stances to their own. However, they noted that currently corrupt politics feed off of more corrupt politics; March 14 and March 8 opposition leaders have "dirty hands," so neither side forces the other to reform. PRACTICAL PLANS, THE MEDIA -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Agreeing that big ideas need practical plans, several participants mentioned media as a useful tool to bring women into politics. They discussed using themselves as an example of women from opposing political parties who are working together with the goal of improving Lebanon. They agreed that younger women -- who commonly have no desire to participate in politics -- need role models who acknowledge changing Lebanon's political process will take time but believe the change is possible. ¶12. (SBU) Interestingly, participants mentioned Hizballah as an organization that genuinely encourages women to participate in grass roots activities and in lower-level politics. They cited an implicit discouragement by Hizballah for women to run in parliamentary elections, but noted that a prominent Shi'a woman, Rima Fakhry, has served on Hizballah's political bureau for two years. COMMENT -------------- ¶13. (SBU) The themes echoed throughout the November 19 luncheon suggest that the number of female MPs (five out of 128 seats) will not increase significantly in the Spring 2009 elections. However, political party outreach and activism programs, along with pressure on party bosses, could improve women's chances in 2010 municipal elections and 2013 parliamentary elections. ¶14. (SBU) MEPI alumni present seemed genuinely motivated by their trip to the U.S. Most have not yet formed concrete project proposals to start changing the Lebanese political system or to increase female representatives in politics, but some of their ideas -- such as urging party bosses to put women candidates on lists, particularly in uncontested seats -- could start a positive trend. A recent NDI study notes lack of family backing as a common obstacle for potential female candidates. It also suggests party bosses will pick known, family-backed male allies over the independent female candidates mentioned. End comment. SISON