Democratic equality: Saudi female candidates begin first election campaign
Politics
Democratic equality: Saudi female candidates begin first election campaign
Saudi women running for public office next month for the first time ever begin campaigning Sunday in another step forward for women’s rights in the conservative kingdom’s slow democratic process. The municipal elections will also be the first time women have been allowed to participate in choosing officials. The election will be the third municipal ballot for men, who previously voted in 2005 and 2011. The late king Abdullah introduced the elections in 2005 and said women would participate in this year’s vote. In 2013, he also named women to the appointed Shura Council, which advises the cabinet. Abdullah died in January and was succeeded by King Salman, who stuck to the election timetable.
This is one of the first steps for women’s rights, a big step for us.
Sahar Hassan Nasief, an activist in the Red Sea city of Jeddah who has many friends running for office
Oil-rich Saudi Arabia has no elected legislature but has faced intense Western scrutiny over its rights record. The absolute monarchy, which applies its strict interpretation of Islam, has faced widespread criticism for its lack of equal rights.
