Saudi Arabia, often known for being a bastion of Islamic conservatism, is now showing its progressive side, as the country will soon allow women to vote and run for office for the first time in its history.
The ballots will be cast Saturday for nationwide municipal elections. This is significant because Saudi citizens are only allowed to vote for representatives in municipal elections. There are over 900 women running alongside 7,000 men for around 3,100 council seats, according to The Washington Post.
While it is not required that any women win, the King may use his power to place some women directly onto the council, the Associated Press reported.
Women running for office have found it difficult, as Saudi Arabia has strict segregation laws between males and females. For a female candidate to be able to address a male voter, she would have to either do so behind a partition, or have male family members speak to the voters. In an attempt to be gender neutral, but while still holding onto tradition, the General Election Committee has banned both men and women from showing their faces in flyers, social media, and on the television.
There are many, however, who criticize this new freedom women have, claiming that it is not enough. "Saudi Arabia has done a great PR job in selling these elections as part of much-touted reforms. The reality is that not much changes," said Ali al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, according to The Washington Post. This is most likely because municipal governments do not have any legislative powers and only oversee the community budget, maintaining its infrastructure, parks, and repairs. The legislative power still lies with King Salman and his Cabinet, who are all male.
Running itself is harder for women as well because of the high costs involved, as 31 have so far dropped out because they could not afford it, AP noted. On top of this, only 130,637 women have registered to vote, compared to 1.35 million men.
On the other side, there are critics who claim that the changes are too radical, warning that it may lead to Westernization. Despite this, female candidates are surprised, expecting more pushback, with one stating, "We expected more men to try to stand in our way. A few have grumbled. But the worst didn't happen. That says something."
