In an historic vote Saturday, at least 13 women were elected to municipal seats, among them in Mecca, Jawf and Tabuk, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
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Saudi woman Fawzia al-Harbi, a candidate for local municipal council elections, shows her candidate biography at a shopping mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 29, 2015.
According to Al Jazeera, the candidates were elected to three councils.
The kingdom’s first municipal ballot was in 2005, for men only. Women were excluded in both.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy with some of the world’s tightest restrictions on women, including a ban on driving. Election officials reported a 45 percent turnout there but gave no male-female breakdown.
Though there are no quotas for female council members, an additional 1,050 seats are appointed with approval by the king who could use his powers to ensure more women are represented.
At least 17 women emerged victorious from a field of candidates vastly outnumbered by men in a male-dominated society.
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”.
Another female voter, Najla Harir, said: “I exercised my electoral right”.
“Even if it was only one woman, we’re really proud of that”.
Saudi news channel Al-Ekhbaria said turnout was heaviest in the Northern Border region.
But not all women trying to break the mould in the conservative kingdom had such a positive experience.
“This isn’t just a step for Saudi women”, voter Fatima al-Juraysi told The Washington Post.
“As a woman, I need some services, some needs in my neighbourhood, like nurseries”. As soon as they got to the polling center, many took selfies and posted them on their social media accounts. “I believe women want more parks, libraries for their children, health and fitness facilities for women”.
Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Riyadh after the polls closed, described the elections as “momentous”. However, women contestants were not allowed to directly meet male voters during their election campaign, Al Jazeera reported.
Saturday’s polls saw 2,100 seats up for election, while the king appoints another 1,050.
But win or lose, the female contenders say they are already victorious.
Congratulations to every woman who won in the election. “Honestly, we weren’t expecting anyone to win”, said Sahar Hassan Nasief, a women’s rights activist in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
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“This is a day for all Saudi women if they voted or not”, Latifa al-Bazei, 53, told The Washington Post’s Brian Murphy.
