Women’s Participation in Lebanon’s Municipal and Mukhtar Elections: Between Challenges and Aspirations

Nariman Chamaa, Journalist and activist. President of Donia for Sustainable Development (NGO)

Local Elections: A New Chapter Amid Challenges
After repeated delays, Lebanon finally held its municipal and mukhtar elections in May 2025. While female representation improved slightly in municipal councils, their presence in mukhtar elections remained exceptionally low. Some municipalities even witnessed a stark decline in female winners, failing to elect a single woman for the first time in over two decades.

Electoral Financing and Party Support: An Unequal Playing Field
Financial backing remains a decisive factor in Lebanese elections, placing female candidates at a clear disadvantage. Many lacked party endorsements and financial support, making media visibility and campaign influence an uphill battle. Without gender quotas, achieving fair representation remains an ongoing challenge.

Statistics Reflect the Reality
Recent data underscores the persistent obstacles for women in municipal and mukhtar governance:
• Number of female candidates for municipal elections: 2591 out of 21,544, making up 12.02% of all candidates, compared to 7.2% in 2016.
• Percentage of female winners: 10.37% of the total candidates, compared to 5.4% in 2016.
• Municipalities with zero female representation: Increased from 79 in 2016 to 85 in 2025, highlighting regional disparities.
• Number of female candidates for Mukhtar positions: 312 out of 12,890, making up only 2.42% of total candidates.

Female Mayors and Municipal Unions
While the number of female mayors doubled from 2016—rising from 9 to 18—they still make up only 1.7% of Lebanon’s 1,020 mayors. Furthermore, no woman was elected as a municipal union president, reflecting the continued difficulties in securing high-level leadership positions.

Election Delays: A Blessing or a Setback?
Since 2019, repeated postponements disrupted electoral dynamics, disproportionately impacting female candidates. While some leveraged extra time to strengthen their campaigns, the sudden decision to hold elections created logistical hurdles—limiting women’s ability to form alliances and navigate political negotiations.

Legal Reforms: Progress, But Not Enough
In April 2025, a new directive allowed married women to run for office either in their hometown or their husband’s town, marking a step toward addressing a long-standing electoral restriction. While this adjustment grants women more flexibility in candidacy, it remains a partial measure within a broader challenge. True reform requires enabling all candidates – regardless of gender- to run in their actual place of residence rather than their official registration, thereby reducing familial and tribal influence over electoral outcomes. Additionally, implementing a structured women’s quota is essential to achieving meaningful representation and ensuring that female candidates have a fair chance in a historically male-dominated system.

Structural and Cultural Barriers Facing Women
Beyond financial and political obstacles, deeper societal and systemic challenges persist:
• Hesitation to run due to fear of failure or unwelcoming political environments.
• Weak political networks, lacking influential party or community backing.
• Rural and tribal influences, favoring male candidates over women.
• Absence of a gender quota, keeping women at a structural disadvantage.

Future Outlook: What Comes Next?
As Lebanon looks ahead to the 2026 parliamentary elections, the push for greater female participation gains momentum. Increasing demands for gender quotas and evolving discourse on women’s political inclusion offer hope for meaningful progress—if financial and institutional support can be secured.
May 2025 may not have been the transformational moment activists hoped for, but it marked another step forward in the fight for women’s political empowerment. The road ahead remains long, yet clearer than ever.