Dubai: Leila bin Khalifa, head of the National Movement Party, became the first woman to run in the Libyan presidential elections, according to local media.
Libya's presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place on December 24, 2021.
Bin Khalifa is the first-ever female presidential candidate in the history of the war-torn country after she submitted her papers to Libya’s National Elections Commission on Monday, two days before the elections.
Born in 1975 in the city of Zawara, west of Libya, bin Khalifa was raised in the capital Tripoli. She worked in the media field before entering the political scene and heading the National Movement Party.
Over the last 10 years, Bin Khalifa sought to have fair political representation for women and demanded allocation of the 30 per cent of government positions for women.
“I dream of bringing about change in the Libyan political landscape and want to give women more powers in the upcoming government.”
Over 65 candidates have already applied to run in the elections.
