Saudis elect 19 women after first candidacies in landmark polls

The conservative capital of Riyadh saw the most women candidates win, with four elected. In the Eastern Province, where minority Shiites is concentrated, three women were elected.

Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Abdul Lateef Al-Asheikh, who is also the president of the General Committee for the Municipal Elections, said citizens’ interaction with the elections and their awareness about the importance of the councils ensured that they voted for the best candidates. At least 17 women won council seats during the municipal elections on 12 December. Female candidates were not allowed to directly campaign to men.

“People have placed their trust in me and I must make sure that their trust is not betrayed”, a victor from the Qatif region Khadra Al-Mubarak told Saudi Gazette.

The 20 female candidates come from different parts of the country and they represent one percent of the 2,100 municipal council seats.

He did not provide a further breakdown, but AFP reviewed data issued by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) and the election commission.

Ms Al Fassi said Saudi women were now aiming to take the “next step” – holding those elected to the municipal councils “to account” for what they promised their constituencies. The place is where the first mosque of Prophet Muhammad was built.

During the elections women were barred from speaking to male voters and were required to partition off campaign areas. And that those seats have very little power in the overall scheme of things.

Huda al-Jeraisy, one of the two women who won in the Seventh District of northern Riyadh, said that her victory was a result of her work which is not focused on her “personal gain”.

He said that not less than 702, 000 Saudis casted their ballots on Saturday, including 106,000 women out of 130,000 registered, meaning nearly 82 per cent female participation.

The number of women in the Saudi workforce also has been increasing, from 23,000 in 2004 to more than 400,000 in 2015, according to the government.

However, law in Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy, doesn’t allow women to drive, and gives men the authority to decide civil matters, including marriage and higher education, for them.

Ruled by the al-Saud family of King Salman, Saudi Arabia has no elected legislature and faces intense Western scrutiny of its rights record.