Positive shock ... 6 women ministers in the new Lebanese government for the first time in the Arab world

Larissa Slaei - Beirut

In the new Lebanese government, women held a third of the ministerial portfolios, and there were six ministries: defense, justice, information, labor, youth and sports, and the displaced.

The new government, which is described as a government of technocrats, has held six women in ministerial positions for the first time in the country's history, namely: Zeina Akkar, Minister of Defense, Mary Najem, Minister of Justice, Lameya Doueihy, Minister of Labor, and Fartaina Ohanyan, Minister of Youth and Sports, Ghada Shreim, Minister of Displaced, and Manal Abdul Samad, Minister of Information.

In his press conference, the head of the new government, Dr. Hassan Diab, announced that his goal is to form a government of specialists, as he wants to form a distinguished government that does not resemble previous governments, whether in terms of the percentage of competencies participating in it, or at the level of women's participation, without forgetting the known balances.

He considered that it is a government in which women assume a balanced representation, and in which they occupy the position of vice president for the first time in Lebanon, a government whose ministers are exceptions and a rescue team that can only make effort and giving in this difficult and delicate stage, according to the prime minister.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Zina Aker
For the first time in Lebanon, the position of Deputy Prime Minister is transferred to a woman, who is the Minister of Defense Zina Akar, who is considered the first Arab Minister of Defense.

Aker is the wife of businessman Jawad Adra, and the general manager of the "International Information" company, which is one of the leading companies specialized in opinion polls in Lebanon.

Adra holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences in Marketing and Management from the Lebanese American University (formerly known as the Beirut University College), and has more than 20 years of practical, administrative, and research experience.

Minister of Information Manal Abdel Samad
She worked as Head of the Legislation and Tax Policies Department in the Directorate of Tax on Value Added at the Ministry of Finance, and is a lecturer at Saint Joseph University in Beirut.

She received a state doctorate in law from the Paris-Sorbonne University 1 with excellent distinction with first class honors and praise from the examining committee in January 2015.

Minister of Youth and Sports Vartini Ohanyan
Born in 1984, her husband is engineer Ara Kevorkian. She holds a BA in Social Sciences from the Lebanese University and a Project Management Diploma from Haigazian University. She is the director of the Tanusheus Educational and Rehabilitation Center for Special Needs Visitors of the Armenian Community's Social Workers Association.

Minister of Labor, Mia Yamin Al-Duwaihi
Consultant architect and university professor, born in Zgharta in 1974. She is married to Bacchus Gerges Douaihy. She is a member of the board of directors of the "Douaihy Wood Industry" company.

Minister of the Displaced Ghada Shreim
She holds a PhD in French literature, oversees the Fayrouz magazine issued by Dar Al-Sayyad 2008, the director of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the Lebanese University 2016, and a professor at the Lebanese University, and the owner of the page “Politics is a feminine word”. She is active in achieving the political rights of Lebanese women.

Justice Minister Marie Claude Negm
Born in Beirut in 1971, she is Professor at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Head of the Department of Private Law, and Director of the Center for Human Rights Studies for the Arab World.

She is an appellate attorney and affiliated with the Beirut Bar Association, and holds a BA in Law and a Postgraduate Diploma in Private Law from the Faculty of Law and Political Science at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, and a PhD in private international law in Beirut.

Positive shock
Scarlett Haddad, a political analyst and specialist in Lebanese and international political affairs, and a journalist for the French-language newspaper "L'Orient Le Jour", said in her interview with Al-Jazeera Net that "the birth of the new Lebanese government has a positive shock, and gives a positive impression of the sudden change it has endured, and has seen the light of The presence of 6 women leaders in their fields, for the first time in the history of Lebanon and the Arab world.

Just as Lebanon singled out the appointment of the first woman, Raya Hafar Al-Hassan, as the Minister of the Interior in the previous Saad Hariri government, the new government included the first Arab woman in the position of Minister of Defense. It is known that half of Lebanese society is women, and they have the right to change and to build a modern, developed country far from the male character that has dominated in past years, according to Haddad.

And she assures Al Jazeera Net that "Lebanese women are able to bear the great responsibilities and difficult tasks and make the right decisions because they are women, mothers and wives, and are more in touch with the requirements of society, and they have the ability to overcome prohibitions and overcome difficulties."

Hope for fairness for women is double today
She points out that Lebanese women since before the Lebanese Civil War were able to be leaders in the field of science, development and economics. The arrival of 6 women to the Lebanese government is a victory for the women who are still struggling up to this point for the most basic human rights in Lebanon, so the hope that women will be fair today is twice as long as women are in leadership positions able to work to promote and empower women in all fields .

For example, Raya Hafar Al-Hassan "was a model for the Lebanese woman that we are proud of", as she is the minister who never forgot that she is a mother and wife, as she was successful and creative in her work, she was a successful leader of her family and brought her to safety. Therefore, the position of Minister of Defense is no less important and important than the Ministry of Interior, and it is expected that success and efficiency will be needed for this woman, who will probably develop a strategic plan and will have integration with the army commander, according to Haddad.

She added, "The position of the Ministry of Justice is of great importance in light of the difficult conditions that we suffer from, especially the fight against corruption. Mrs. Mary Claude is a star of women known for their hardness, strength and ability to fight corruption and injustice."

Haddad concludes her speech on Al-Jazeera Net by saying, "In short, the Lebanese woman is able to change and surpass masculine monism positively. We must be proud of our women who, despite all attempts to restrict them, were able to succeed and prove themselves despite the nose of all circumstances and challenges."

Amal and Farah on Twitter
The tweets of the Lebanese society reflected a positive case of hope and joy, and even the defense of the presence of women in the new government, especially in the Ministry of Defense, explaining that women are capable of everything.

Another tweet indicated that the slogan for the new government is "women," referring to women's equity.

The Ministry of Defense also received many tweets, including one telling "Lebanon seems to be heading for a soft defense strategy."