Women in Saudia Arabia are able to register as candidates for local municipal elections that are to take place in December. This move is earning praise for the conservative kingdom — but some criticism as well for not being enough for the country's women.
Photo Credit:: Al Jazeera
Women were allowed to register to vote and run as candidates in this year's election, a right that was granted by the late King Abdullah in 2001. "We refuse to marginalise women's role in Saudi society," said the king in 2001.
However, female voter registration has been shockingly low. According to local media, only 16 women have been able to register so far. Shah Mohammed Asiri, the chairwoman of the women's election unit in Al Darb, attributed the low turnout to difficult home conditions and a lack of awareness of the elections among women in the governate. Five women registered in this electorate while six women registered in Farasan Island and four women registered in Dhamad.
Yet enthusiasm is high among women in the country, as there are reports that around 200 women are interested in running for local office.
Blogger Eman al-Nafjan, registered as a voter in Riyadh, noted that getting involved was a "positive step" but hinted that "there are major obstacles that prevent women from participating, such as transportation.”
She shares her sentiments with entrepreneur Sofana Dahlan, who told Al Jazeera that it was a huge "paradigm shift" but that it would take time to reach women across the country. "People usually reject change in the beginning, but once it is embraced, and once it takes place and people start seeing the fruits of this, people will start to converting into accepting the idea," Dahlan commented.
In the conservative kingdom, women are banned from driving and need a male guardian's consent to travel, work and marry. The right to vote and run for office has been seen as a step forward for the country. The government has also allocated 424 of its 1,263 polling to women voters. That's more than one-third of the polling stations in the 284 Saudi municipalities.
Women candidates can register until September 17 while voter registration ends on September 14, which is quite a short window to get their information in. Since Saudia Arabia is a monarchy, King Salman has the main decision-making authority in the country, which may sway the municipal councils. These councils are half elected by the public, which can include female candidates, but the other half comprises officials chosen by King Salman.
Still, this is a significant moment for Saudi women. Amnesty International warned that while it was "long overdue . . . let's not forget that Saudi Arabian women won't actually be able to drive themselves to the voting booths as they're still completely banned from driving."
It remains to be seen whether Saudi Arabians take that extra step and elect female politicians who might be instrumental in raising consciousness.
Main Image Photo Credit: Faisal Al Nasser/Reuters
Rumnique Nannar
Author
Rumnique Nannar is a new journalist with a passion for all things pop culture, film, and art. Rumnique was born in London, with a predilection for devouring English chocolate with her Vogue, ANOKHI, and Glamour magazines in tow. She is currently in her Journalism Masters at UBC. Connect ...
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