Riyadh: At least 20 women have won seats in Saudi Arabia’s municipal polls as part of the country’s first-ever elections open to female voters and candidates. The female candidates were elected to 10 different councils all over the country, from small cities to large ones. The country’s capital and largest city Riyadh saw the most women elected with four. Saudi Arabia’s second largest and most cosmopolitan city, Jiddah, also elected two women, as did one of the most conservative regions, Qassim.
Saudi Arabia is the last country in the world to open its ballots to women. The country announced earlier this year it would do so. Officials say that 130,000 women registered to vote last week's election, although this still pales in comparison to the 1.35 million men in the country who registered to vote.
It is also the first time female candidates were able to stand for election, with 978 women alongside 5,938 men vying for 284 seats. This represents two thirds of the kingdom’s councils. Lama Al-Sulaiman, a candidate in Jeddah, said that Saudi women were excited to be participating in the landmark election.
“For 10 years, I’ve worked on women’s issues and employment, so when this opportunity came along and I had the experience, I thought, why not?” she said. “Women here are doctors and engineers – it’s not like women aren’t there.”
Al-Sulaiman called for more women to participate, but said she respected those with ultra-conservative views. “If we win, I hope they work with us. I’ve worked with such people before in the chamber of commerce and it’s been enlightening to have dialogue with them. That’s when fears are reduced, the fighting and aggression declines.”
Saudi academic Hatoon al-Fassi was the first woman to register to vote in Saudi Arabia. “This is a historical moment. I thank God I am living it,” she said. “Change is a big word but the election is the way to make sure we are really represented.” This is only the third time Saudi Arabia has gone to the polls in its history, with no elections taking place between 1965 and 2005.
The newly introduced rights allowing women to vote and run as candidates were first announced by King Abdullah in 2011, in a significant shift from the country’s hardline conservative culture.
