Saudi Arabia Elects Its First Women To Municipal Council

It has been a season for firsts in Saudi Arabia: During the run-up to the country’s third-ever elections, the absolute monarchy chose to to give women the vote and to also allow them the right to seek positions on the country’s municipal councils.

The female winners include Salma al-Oteibi in the Mecca region, Lama al-Suleiman and Rasha Hufaithi in Jeddah, Hanouf al-Hazimi in Al Jouf province, and Sanaa al-Hammam and Masoumah Abdelreda in the Ahsa region.

Despite the landmark election, Saudi Arabian society remains strictly segregated with women facing many restrictions including a ban on driving.

In the end, 979 women candidates and 130,637 women voters registered to participate in the election, according to Saudi election officials.

More than 900 women and almost 6,000 men are competing for places on 284 local councils. There was also complete separation between men and women at events during the campaign, with female candidates required to speak from behind a partition or have a man speak on her behalf.

Aljazi al-Hossaini waged her 12-day campaign largely over the Internet, putting her manifesto on her website where both men and women could see it.

The remaining disparity is said believed to be down to bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of transport.

Salema bint Hizab al-Otaibi was elected to the council of Madrakah, a small village in the Mecca region, the official Saudi press agency reported. The turnout was high, as reported by local media. “Only in the movies”, Sahar Hassan Nasief said, referring to the ballot box.

Despite women’s participation in the vote, however, there’s a widely held sentiment among many Saudis that women do not belong in public life.

Between 1965 and 2005 there were no elections.

He appointed 30 women to the council a month later, according to the U.S. State Department. An additional 1,050 seats were appointed with approval from the king.

While the municipal councils do not have legislative powers, they oversee a range of community issues, such as budgets for maintaining and improving public facilities.

“Recognising women’s votes in decision-making is a step towards equality”, she said.

They require permission from male family members to travel, work or marry and must cover themselves from head to toe in public.