Washington D.C., December 14: At least 19 Saudi women have secured seats in the historic municipal election in the country that saw the participation of female voters and candidates for the first time.
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Numerous female candidates had to rely on social media or male relatives to support their campaigns because they were not allowed to address male voters directly and can not drive in the country.
Al-Ahmed pointed out the very low turnout of women and said it was important to note that the municipal councils to which the candidates have been elected were “powerless”.
The preliminary results were announced by local districts and published on the official Saudi Press Agency.
The 20 female candidates represent just one % of the roughly 2,100 municipal council seats up for grabs, still even limited gains are seen as a step forward for ladies who had previously been utterly shut out of elections. Women were also segregated during voting. The other third of its members will be appointed by the government. Lama bint Abdulaziz Al Sulaiman, Rasha Hafza, Sana Abdulatif Abdulwahab Al Hamam and Massoumeh Al Reda won seats in Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia has confirmed that Salima bint Hazab al-Otaibi has become the first woman elected to public office in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
“The vote is seen as a small step to open the way for a more equal role for women in this conservative Kingdom. Honestly, we weren’t expecting anyone to win”, said Sahar Hassan Nasief, a women’s rights activist in Jeddah.
They were up against nearly 6,000 men competing for places on 284 councils whose powers are restricted to local matters, including responsibility for streets, public gardens and rubbish collection. “And, we’re opening the door for much more females to come and participate”.
We can tell that the political landscape of Saudi is changing, what with women now being allowed to not only vote but also register as electoral candidates.
The rights watchdog said the distance to voter registration centers and required ID cards that many women do not have hindered the process.
According to election commission data, almost 1.5 million people aged 18 and over were registered for the polls. Saudi Arabia has a population of about 28 million including foreign nationals, according to the CIA World Factbook.
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The commission spokesman said women won seats in regions throughout the country, with four elected in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
