20 Saudi Arabian Women Elected To Councils, First Time In Nation’s History

Saudi Arabian voters have elected twenty women from municipal council election held on Saturday, December 12. This is the first time in the history of the country women were allowed to vote and contest for local government seats.

However, the 20 women candidates represent just one percent of about 2,100 municipal council seats. It is being seen as a step forward for Saudi Arabian females who were earlier not allowed to take part in the elections in any way.

The most women candidates win was in the capital Riyadh. It saw four elected women. One was elected in the Eastern Province and one in Jiddah, said General Election Commission’s media council head Hamad Al-Omar.

According to Osama al-Bar, mayor of the city of Mecca, one woman was elected in Madrakah village which is about 93 miles north of the city and houses cube-shaped Kaaba where Muslims from across the world come to pray.

In Medina too one woman was elected. The place is where the first mosque of Prophet Muhammad was built.

The other wins include two in Tabuk, two in al-Ahsa, one in Jizan, one in Asir, and one in al-Jawf.

Most of the women candidates ran their campaigns online by using social media as there are several restrictions in Saudi Arabia like a woman is not allowed to address to male voters and women are not allowed to drive too.