AMN /
Making a history in Saudi Kingdom,19 women 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.
As soon as news of some women candidates winning municipal council seats from Makkah region came out, there was celebration by voters on Sunday.
“Recognizing women’s role in decision making is a step toward equality,” said Ali, who congratulated Salma Al-Otaibi for her election to the council of the Madrakah region of Makkah.
The other two women who won the elections from Makkah region are Dr. Lama Al-Sulaiman, vice-chairman of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Rasha Al-Hifzi. They are among the 19 women who won in the historic elections.
Out of a total of 2,106 candidates, 19 women emerged victorious and defying the general expectations of people across the Kingdom that fewer of them would win.
Among the winner were two in Qassim, two in Eastern Province, two in Al-Ahsa, one in Jazan, three in Riyadh, two in Jeddah, two in Hail, two in Tabuk, one in Al-Jouf, one in Madinah and one in Makkah.
Abdul Lateef Al-Asheikh, municipal and rural affairs minister, said that 702,542 citizens cast their votes, which was 47.4 percent of all registered voters. He said the elected members would form two-third of the municipal councils. The rest will be appointed by the minister.
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.