Across the political spectrum, parties – all led by men – have been scrambling to grab a slice of the female vote.
"Initially political parties were opposed to women, now it's changed," said Alaa Murabit, of Voice of Libyan Women, which campaigns for women in politics. "In the past few weeks we have seen men pay attention. They have suddenly become pro-women. How much is honest I don't know."
Two events have caused this seismic shift in what remains a deeply conservative country, where few women drive and female swimsuits are banned.
The first was voter registration. When the elections were organised, the government – which has two women in the cabinet – did not think it necessary to appoint a single woman to its election commission. But when registration numbers began to roll in, it was clear that women were as enthused as men by the first election in more than four decades. More than a million women signed up to vote.
The second event goes by the name Najud al-Kikhia. In May this little-known female politician not only won a seat on the council of Benghazi, Libya's second city, but got more votes than any male candidate.
Read the complete story at The Guardian, published 7 July 2012.
Across the political spectrum, parties – all led by men – have been scrambling to grab a slice of the female vote.
"Initially political parties were opposed to women, now it's changed," said Alaa Murabit, of Voice of Libyan Women, which campaigns for women in politics. "In the past few weeks we have seen men pay attention. They have suddenly become pro-women. How much is honest I don't know."
Two events have caused this seismic shift in what remains a deeply conservative country, where few women drive and female swimsuits are banned.
The first was voter registration. When the elections were organised, the government – which has two women in the cabinet – did not think it necessary to appoint a single woman to its election commission. But when registration numbers began to roll in, it was clear that women were as enthused as men by the first election in more than four decades. More than a million women signed up to vote.
The second event goes by the name Najud al-Kikhia. In May this little-known female politician not only won a seat on the council of Benghazi, Libya's second city, but got more votes than any male candidate.
Read the complete story at The Guardian, published 7 July 2012.