HINDIYA AL-ASHEPY

Benghazi- More than 457,450 Libyans, including 135,133 women registered to vote in the second phase of the country’s municipal council elections, scheduled for June 2025, High National Election Commission (HNEC) announced in March 2025.

The first phase of the municipal council elections was held in the country in November 2024. The elections saw a high voter turnout of 77.2 percent out of approximately 210,000 registered voters. While women’s voter registration was 73.4 percent of those registered participated.

Women activists in the country think that Libyan women do not show the same interest in their right to be elected.

‘Awareness should be raised’

Wafaa Al-Sharif, Chair of the Board of Directors of INJAZ Foundation, thinks that the number of women running for the elections is very low. “The reasons for women’s low political participation are social perceptions, bullying, and social and digital violence faced by women candidates,” she told NuJINHA.

Wafaa Al-Sharif also mentioned the experience of a woman who won the municipal council elections. “However, she was prevented from participating in council meetings by her family because of social perceptions. Her father participated in council meetings and made decisions on behalf of his daughter.”

‘Women are underrepresented at decision-making positions’

Aisha Al- Barghthi, Director Department of Women's Affairs at the General Command of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, believes that women are underrepresented in politics and decision-making positions due to lack of awareness and education on the importance of women's participation in municipal council elections

Lamyaa Al-Agha, a women’s rights activist, believes that women participate actively in all facets of life, including education, health, security, and others. “However, women’s political participation has remained very low in recent years. Tribalism and its impact on women may weaken their political participation, especially in the eastern region of the country.”