20 Women Candidates Elected For First TimeIn Saudi Municipal Council Polls

14 December, Riyadh

In Saudi Arabia, at least 20 women have won municipal council seats in Saturday’s historic local elections in which females were allowed to cast votes and run for office for the first time in the country’s history.

The 20 female candidates represent just one per cent of the roughly 2,100 municipal council seats up for grabs, but even limited gains are seen as a step forward for women who
had previously been completely shut out of elections.

The two previous rounds of voting for the councils, in 2005 and 2011, were open to men only. The conservative capital of Riyadh saw the most women candidates win, with four elected.

Though there are no quotas for female council members, an additional 1,050 seats are appointed with approval by the king who could use his powers to ensure more women are represented.

Women are still not allowed to drive and are governed by guardianship laws that give men final say over aspects of their lives like marriage, travel and higher education.