A Saudi woman casts her ballot in an election centre in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, on December 12, 2015. In common with other Gulf countries, more than half of all undergraduates in Saudi Arabia are now female, and the result is a tidal wave of women with PhDs and Master’s degrees in everything from healthcare to business administration returning to the country.
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Though not many women are expected to win seats, even limited gains are seen as a step forward for women who had previously been completely shut out of elections.
Local elections were opened to women at the decree of the late King Abdullah, who oversaw other reforms welcomed by women’s rights activists, including the appointment of women to a national advisory council and allowing women to work in an expanded number of professions. It is still illegal for women to drive in the Kingdom, and more than 150 people were executed there this year. In total, some 47 percent of registered voters took part in Saturday’s election.
The five women hail from vastly different parts of the country, ranging from Saudi Arabia’s second largest and most cosmopolitan city to a small village near Islam’s holiest sites.
Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Abdul Lateef Al-Asheikh, who is also the president of the General Committee for the Municipal Elections, said citizens’ interaction with the elections and their awareness about the importance of the councils ensured that they voted for the best candidates.
Women first served as municipal councilors through appointments from the King.
Dr Al Fassi described the outcome of the elections as a “a big success”.
In northern Saudi Arabia, Hanouf bint Mufreh bin Ayad Al Hazimi won a seat in Al Jawf, Mina Salman Saeed Al Omairi and Fadhila Afnan Muslim Al Attawi both won seats in the Northern Borders province. Nor were they allowed to participate in debates on television.
Veiled Saudi women take photos of their children during a ceremony to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s Independence Day in Riyadh, September 23, 2009.
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State-affiliated websites and independent news agencies indicate Saudi Arabians may have elected as many as 17 women, but no final tally has been announced. The election marked the first time women have been allowed to stand for elections in the conservative Islamic nation, according to the Associated Press. Women candidates were doubly handicapped by the fact that they could not directly meet the majority of the electorate – men.
