Saudi Arabia announced Salima bint Hazab al-Otaibi was the first woman elected to public office, after winning a seat on the municipal council in Mecca in Saturday’s election.
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She’s the only woman elected so far, although votes are still being counted in the municipal elections.
Officials said about 130,000 girls had enrolled to vote in Saturday’s survey, compared with 1.35 million of guys.
Female candidates expressed pride in standing, even if they didn’t think they would win, while women voters said they were happy at finally being able to do something they had only seen on television or in movies.
Najla Khaled, a 24 year-old English literature major, described voting “as a huge step for women in Saudi”.
Nassima al-Sadah, an activist in the eastern city of Qatif, said it didn’t matter whether women voted for their own sex. They were up against almost 6,000 men competing for places on 284 councils whose powers are restricted to local affairs including responsibility for streets, public gardens and rubbish collection.
Saturday’s election only fills two-thirds of seats in the municipal councils.
Amid the progressive and liberal celebrations of the right of women to vote, some Saudi men did not like the new reform, stressing that “the role of a woman is at her home, administrating her house and raising her children”.
“Change is a big word”, one voter said, “but the election is the way to make sure we are represented”.
More than 1.3 million men registered to vote, according to the Saudi government. Despite the novel presence of female contenders, Marzooq said she picked a male candidate because of his ideas including more nurseries.
Behind her, groups of women took selfies and posted images on social media.
“I deeply believe in the importance of voting in order to be part of my country’s drive to empower women and elevate their status”, she said.
According to the AFP, the disparity is due to bureaucratic obstacles faced by women and to a “lack of transport”. Under such laws, women can not obtain a passport, work in government, travel overseas or enter university without the permission of a male guardian, usually the father or husband. “Yes, I took my children to witness as I cast my vote in the historic municipal elections”, she wrote on her Twitter handle @salma_alrashid, along with a group photo of her three smiling and clearly delighted children.
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Before he died in January, 30 girls were made by him to the nation ‘s top advisory Shura Council.
