After historic elections allowed women to vote and run for office for the first time in the Persian Gulf nation, initial reports show that at least five – and as many as 19 – Saudi females have been elected to public office.
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While the elections mark a historical moment in the Islamic country’s history, Saudi women are still not allowed to drive and remain governed by strict guardianship laws which allow men control over the major aspects of their lives including marriage, travel and education.
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“People have placed their trust in me and I must make sure that their trust is not betrayed”, a victor from the Qatif region Khadra Al-Mubarak told Saudi Gazette.
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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.
Saudi women reunited at the King Salman Social Center to set their main goals to achieve after the elections. Although there are not any quotas for female council members, a further 1,050 seats are appointed with approval by the king who might use his powers to make sure more women are represented.
Even in this election, which was held for two-thirds of the 284 municipal councils, female candidates weren’t allowed to meet with male voters for campaigning, according to AFP. Several women blamed the cumbersome registration process for the low numbers.
Election commission president Osama Al-Bar was quoted by SPA as saying Salma Al-Oteibi ran against seven men and two women. Despite that, nearly 1,000 women were in the running for positions, and more than a 130,000 registered to vote.
Al-Omar said the women won seats in 10 different regions. Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy with no elected parliament, is coming under increasing Western scrutiny owing to its human rights record.
Around 7,000 candidates, among them 979 women, competed for 2,100 seats across the country.
In spite of the growing female representation on Saudi government bodies, activists complain that women in the country still require a male guardian to transact official business.
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The women were allowed to vote and contest in the municipal election in accordance to the royal decree issued in 2011.
