Myrna Boustany: The first woman Parliamentarian

143_First woman parliamentarian – Myrna Boustany_ANNAHAR ARCHIVES

Even though women started running for parliamentary elections beginning in 1953, the majority of them lost the elections to male rivals. During the pre-Civil War period, the first women elected to the Parliament were so upon the death of a father or husband who was involved in political life. As such, in 1963,  Myrna Boustany, was the first woman elected in the Parliament in the Shouf district on the Maronite seat. She was elected to finish her deceased father’s term(1)Lamia Shehadeh, Women and War in Lebanon, Gainesville, University Press of Florida, 1999, p. 33. . She served for one year until the next elections were held in 1964.

After the Civil War ended, Lebanon had five parliaments; the 18th Parliament (1992-1996), the 19th Parliament (1996-2000), the 20th Parliament (2000-2005), the  21st Parliament (2005-2009), and the 22nd Parliament (2009-2013). Even though the parliamentary term for the 22nd Parliament ended in June 2013, the term has been extended until the present day, and parliamentary elections were postponed three times. They are scheduled to be held in May 2018.