Saudi Arabia for 1st time allows women to vote in local elections

Saudi Arabia has allowed women to vote and become candidates in local elections for the first time in the history of male dominated country. In this regard, Saudi authorities allowed 979 women among the 6,917 registered candidates to campaign for 284 municipal councils as per the royal decree issued in 2011. Earlier Saudi Arabia had held municipal elections in 2005 and 2011 in the transitional phase undertaken monarchy but only men were allowed to take part. Thus by allowing participation of women in the municipal elections Saudi Arabian government apparently is showing other countries that social participation of its women is expanding. Presently, women make up one fourth of the country’s Shura Council which is an unelected body appointed by the king to propose laws for government but cannot pass them.