Saudi Arabia Elects its First Female Politicians

The 20 women who have won are from 10 different regions, even as results in several more regions are yet to be announced.

The election commission is expected to announce the final official results of the polls later on Sunday.

Fallata said Baladi’s immediate goal is to push for 50 percent female representation on the council seats, which will be appointed by the ministry of municipal affairs.

The development is viewed as historic for Saudi Arabia where women have fewer rights than men, being forbidden to drive cars and making major life decisions without consent from male relatives, among other restrictions. “We need more than nine”, said Aljazi al-Hossaini, who was defeated in Diriyah on the edge of Riyadh, where three women won seats, according to Saudi news channel Al Ekhbaria. Lama bint Abdulaziz Al Sulaiman, Rasha Hafza, Sana Abdulatif Abdulwahab Al Hamam and Massoumeh Al Reda won seats in Jeddah. Another woman won in Saudi Arabia’s southern border area of Jizan and another won in al-Ahsa.

Khadra al-Mubarak in the Gulf coast city of Qatif confirmed that she was also among the victors. A second woman, Hanouf bint Mufrih bin Ayid al- Hazmi, was elected in the northwestern region of Jawf, SPA said. Another was elected in al-Babtain district.

“I’m really proud that we’re forming our future”. She tells Agence France-Presse, “To tell you the truth, I’m not running to win”.

Saudi Arabian voters have elected twenty women from municipal council election held on Saturday, December 12.

When we say that it is the mother of all surprises, we remember the first experience that Kuwaiti women had of municipal council elections in 2006 which was the first experience that Kuwaiti women had of standing as candidates.

They had to overcome a number of obstacles to participate in the landmark poll. And now women will also have a power in the municipal council. Out of 1.35 million men registered, nearly 600,000 cast ballots. Female candidates were not allowed to directly campaign to men. She was using social media as a way to reach out to voters since, as a woman, she couldn’t use any traditional advertising methods. This is a welcome development and a clear indication that Saudi Arabia is ready to budge, albeit a little, on its stand on female participation in politics.

But women still require permission from male family members to travel, work or marry.

Though this election is a bold step for women inclusion in Saudi Arabia, it does not mean that women have equal rights as men in the kingdom.

The is what the late King Abdullah sought to do when he granted women the right to vote and run in the 2015 municipal elections.