Will Nadine Moussa be Lebanon's next president?

After studying in Paris and Beirut, lawyer Nadine Moussa traveled a lot with her diplomat husband. She managed to continue working and stayed connected to Lebanon, where she returned in 2001 for four years, and then in 2006 to stay permanently. She established herself there as a lawyer and an activist. Today, she is the first woman to have presented her candidacy for the Lebanese presidential elections in 2014.

The 2014 presidential elections led nowhere, to no one's surprise. The only thing new was the presence, for the first time, of an independent woman's candidacy. She told Al-Monitor, “I was involved in defending women' causes, human rights and the youth and to fight corruption.”

She presented her candidacy to the 2013 parliamentary elections for the Metn district, with the support of the association “Take Back Parliament.” She was automatically elected among 48 other independent candidates and around 10 women, in an uncontested and controversial race. “I then wanted to confirm my political commitment by presenting myself for the 2014 presidential elections,” she said. “It was the logical continuation of my journey. I wish to fight against this feudal, obsolete and sectarian system that wouldn't allow … a state of law. We live in a system where the citizens don't get their essential rights.”

She wanted to “challenge the tribal and patriarchal rules of the Lebanese political system and show the public that it's possible for women outside of the traditional political world to take part in it.” Moussa is supported by the collective “Women in Front,” which raises awareness and pushes women to take concrete actions for their public representation, in addition to the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering and other feminist and civil society organizations, such as Take Back Parliament.