Salma bint Hizab al-Oteibi won a seat in Mecca province in Saturday’s vote, the electoral commission said.
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Nevertheless, almost 1,000 women ended up as candidates, and at least 20 at the time of writing had made it to elected office – something that might in itself come as a surprise to outsiders who view Saudi Arabia’s medieval restrictions on women’s personal freedoms as preventing them from having any public life at all.
Women won only 20 seats out of more than 2,000 in local councils across the country, but it was more than the candidates expected.
For the first time in the country’s history, women are being allowed to vote and stand for election in Saudi Arabia. “Three of them are woman and 17 are men (in Riyadh) and we are very glad for these results and looking for those winners that will participate in our council and we will see the fruitful of their participation”, said Engineer Ibrahim Al-Sultan, mayor of Riyadh, following the results announcement.
Jeddah activist Rasha Hefzi, right, shown here with Hanaa Amer, the head of her communications team, won a municipal council seat as the youth candidate.
Saudi women cast their votes for the municipal elections at a polling station on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In Qassim, traditionally the most conservative part of the country, two women were elected but their names were not immediately released.
What this election means for the broader women’s rights movement in Saudi Arabia.
Hanouf bint Mufrih bin Ayid al-Hazmi won in the northwestern region of Jawf, while Sanna Abdel Latif Hamam and Maasooma Abdel Mohsen al-Rida were elected in Ihsa province.
“Even if it was only one woman, we’re really proud of that, honestly, we weren’t expecting anyone to win”, says women’s rights activist Sahar Hassan Nasief.
On Sunday, a total of 19 women have been elected so far from all over the country, one day after the kingdom’s election, which allowed women to vote and run as candidates. The councils do not have legislative powers but advise authorities and help oversee local budgets.
Saudi citizens require a ID card to vote, but it’s unclear how many woman have one according to Human Rights Watch.
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Most ran their campaigns online, using social media to get the word out, due to strict gender segregation rules that ban men and women from mixing in public.
