Saudi Woman Wins Seat in Municipal Elections

At least 20 Saudi women emerged victorious in Saturday’s historic local elections, in which females in this religiously conservative kingdom were allowed to cast votes and run for office for the first time.

Municipal councils have limited powers in terms of lawmaking but the election of women to official posts is viewed as a largely progressive step in the conservative kingdom that bars women from driving cars. The female candidates were selected from various cities; many councils are yet to announce their result which may result in more women candidates winning seats.

King Abdullah proposed reforms to the country’s election process in 2011, and officially added women to a top consultative assembly shortly before he died this year.

The most women candidates win was in the capital Riyadh. In the southern Jazan province, Aisha bint Hamoud Ali Bakri won a seat. Lama bint Abdulaziz Al Sulaiman, Rasha Hafza, Sana Abdulatif Abdulwahab Al Hamam and Massoumeh Al Reda won seats in Jeddah.

She is the daughter of Saudi businessman Abdulrahman al-Jeraisy, who is the chairman of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and she is on several advisory committees to the chamber. “I really do think it’s going to be a while before the women of the country really take advantage of this as much as they can”.

Turnout for women was around 80 percent in parts of the country, well in excess of the figure for men, according to official data analysed by AFP. Another was elected in Al-Babtain district.

Other women hailing from the kingdom’s northernmost areas won, with two elected in Tabuk, and one in al-Jawf. “We are optimistic about a bright future for women in our homeland”.

Some 130,000 women had registered to vote, compared to 1.35 million Saudi men, and roughly 980 female candidates had run for municipal council seats as well, though not many are expected to win as they were outnumbered 6-1 by male candidates, according to the Associated Press. The Eastern Province, where minority Shiia are concentrated, saw two women elected, said Hamad Al-Omar, who heads the General Election Commission’s media council to local media. “And, we’re opening the door for much more females to come and participate”.

One female voter told Human Rights Watch that simply seeing women vote and express their ideas during campaign time was already a very positive thing.