Results from the northern borders province, the southwestern province of Asir and the Eastern Province district of al-Ahsa, the only others to have been announced, had no successful women candidates.
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At least 17 women emerged victorious from a field of candidates vastly outnumbered by men in a male-dominated society. While results are still coming in and the exact number of women elected thus far remains unclear, the news is inarguably remarkable for a patriarchal country that has been called one of the most restrictive in the world for women.
A slow expansion of women’s rights began under King Salman’s predecessor King Abdullah who announced four years ago that women would take part in the 2015 municipal elections.
Though not many women were expected to win seats, even limited gains are seen as a step forward for women who had previously been completely shut out of elections. Lama bint Abdulaziz al-Sulaiman, Rasha Hafza, Sana Abdulatif Abdulwahab al-Hamam and Massoumeh al-Reda won seats in Jeddah.
Khadra al-Mubarak in the Gulf coast city of Qatif confirmed that she was also among the victors.
Salma bint Hizab al-Oteibi was elected to the council of Madrakah, a region in Mecca, the official SPA news agency reported, citing election commission president Osama al-Bar. More women are entering the workplace and heading businesses.
ÒEven if it was only one woman, weÕre really proud of that.
“I don’t consider winning to be the ultimate goal”, she said.
The 20 female candidates come from different parts of the country and they represent one percent of the 2,100 municipal council seats. Women were not allowed to display their photos, so all candidates were banned from using them during the election. Several women blamed the cumbersome registration process for the low numbers. Those figures compare to 1.35 million registered male voters and 5,938 male candidates who were vying for almost 300 municipal seats, the only positions open to elections in Saudi Arabia, which is ruled by an absolute monarch. The election was the third time in history that that Saudis have gone to the polls.
This included about 119,000 women, out of a total native Saudi population of nearly 21 million. Turnout was high, state media reported.
Saudi Arabia’s strict interpretation of Sunni Islam has given rise to an informal system of male guardianship over women that requires women be accompanied by a male guardian to travel or go to school.
The UBC computer science student says she spoke to her mother back home in Saudi Arabia who cast her first ever ballot.
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The kingdom’s first municipal ballot in 2005 was for men only.
