The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

At a recent Global Gender Forum event “Getting More Women into Political Office: What Works?” Megan Doherty, program manager for NDI Middle East and North Africa programs, discussed women’s political participation in Libya. The event was co-sponsored by the George Washington University's Global Gender Program and NDI.

During her remarks, Doherty shared her experiences living in Libya over the past year working with women, youth and public opinion research programs. She discussed the very limited role women were able to play in politics before the fall of the Gadaffi regime, the successes women had in last July’s historic elections and the role of the women’s quota in furthering women’s representation.

“The election of 33 women to the [General National Congress] GNC is a significant accomplishment and provides Libyan women with access to decision-making structures that previously eluded or ignored them...More broadly, Libya’s unfolding political transition continues to offer the country an unprecedented opportunity to address both the inequities in political institutions and the harmful perceptions of women’s role in public life.”

View the accompanying presentation here.

Doherty’s remarks were based on her recent paper “Libyan Women in the 2012 National Elections.” Read the full paper here.