Among the kaleidoscope of political party posters that cover every spare surface in Libya for this weekend's elections, one stands out: that of Al Watan, a hardline Islamist party.

Al Watan is led by Abdul Hakim Bilhaj, the former jihadist fighter who is suing the British government for alleged complicity in his CIA rendition and torture. He is a man not widely known for liberal social values.

However, his posters give the most prominence to a female candidate wearing a modern white jacket and, most extraordinary of all, no hijab – in a country where the ubiquitous headscarf is all but compulsory.

Opinion is divided about whether Bilhaj is truly a convert to feminism, but he has felt the urge to court the female vote. He is not alone. Across the political spectrum, parties – all led by men – have been scrambling to grab a slice of the female vote.

"Initially political parties were opposed to women, now it's changed," said Alaa Murabit, of Voice of Libyan Women, which campaigns for women in politics. "In the past few weeks we have seen men pay attention. They have suddenly become pro-women. How much is honest I don't know."

Two events have caused this seismic shift in what remains a deeply conservative country, where few women drive and female swimsuits are banned.

The first was voter registration. When the elections were organised, the government – which has two women in the cabinet – did not think it necessary to appoint a single woman to its election commission. But when registration numbers began to roll in, it was clear that women were as enthused as men by the first election in more than four decades. More than a million women signed up to vote.

The second event goes by the name Najud al-Kikhia. In May this little-known female politician not only won a seat on the council of Benghazi, Libya's second city, but got more votes than any male candidate. Since then, pollsters have been anxiously reviewing policy, and election posters are the most visible signs: parties of all shades now portray beaming women candidates. "When I went out on the streets for my campaign I heard some say, 'Oh, oh, we are never going to vote for you!' " said Nijad Sharfeddin, who is standing in Tripoli Central for the Muslim Brotherhood's Justice and Development party. "But I want to change this country. Conditions are really bad, there are people living in a house with no windows."

Under Gaddafi, Libya's approach to women's rights verged on the bizarre, with the dictator employing a female state executioner. He kept a contingent of female bodyguards with him at all times, although the lurid murals of scantily clad, bazooka-wielding, Amazonian warriors on the walls of their base in Tripoli gives a clearer idea of his view of women in uniform.

It is clear that last year's revolution produced a change in expectations among men and women. Women's groups were some of the first to form after the eight-month civil war and fierce lobbying this year secured a 10% quota for female candidates in the 200-seat parliament.

When the UN held a conference on women's participation in politics last month in a Tripoli hotel, the hall — the largest the UN could find — was filled to overflowing. As the evening went on, male politicians, including prime minister Abdulrahim el-Keib, felt obliged to make an appearance. Yet expectations among women's groups are modest. "Most women, they will probably ask their families who they should be voting for," said Murabit. "Maybe 15% will vote after studying the politics. But it's something."

However, a male backlash has already begun, with many election posters showing female candidates being defaced and slashed by Salafists. Even among women, there is division. An arts graduate in Misrata, who said she could not give her name in an interview without her father's permission, said most women remained conservative in outlook.

What women want changed were indignities such as being told who to marry, or being met with a barrage of innuendo if they walk into a coffee bar. "I want to wear the hijab," she told me. "What I do not want is some politician telling me I must wear it by law."