Saudi women vote for the first time, testing boundaries

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Women across Saudi Arabia marked a historic milestone Saturday, both voting and running as candidates in government elections for the first time, but just outside polling stations they waited for male drivers – a reminder of the limitations still firmly in place.

The landmark election for local council seats was not expected to immediately advance the status of women in Saudi Arabia, who are still not permitted to drive, but is seen as a chance for them to make their voices heard as citizens.

“We are making history. I just made history,” said candidate Karima Bokhary, 50, after casting her ballot in the capital Riyadh.

Bokhary was one of 979 female candidates vying for a seat on the country’s municipal councils, the only government body in which Saudi citizens can elect their representatives. An additional 5,968 male candidates were running in the election. There is no quota on the number of female council members.

Results were expected to be reported Sunday.

More than 130,000 women registered to vote, compared to 1.35 million men.

At a polling center in Riyadh, Shara Al-Qahtani, a 50-year-old mother of eight, wearing a loose black dress known as an abaya and a traditional veil covering her face and hair, said women being allowed to vote “is good for people and good for society. … Women are partners of men.”

Najla Khaled, a 24 year-old English literature major, described voting “as a huge step for women in Saudi.”

Though women make up just 10 percent of registered voters, the right to simply cast a ballot sends a wider message to society, she said.

“If you look back at the history of women (in Islam), there are so many strong women,” she said. “The Prophet (Muhammad) worked for his wife Khadija. The prophet’s wife was his boss, technically.”

In line with Saudi Arabia’s strict gender segregation rules, men and women cast ballots at separate polling stations. During the campaign period, female candidates could not directly address male voters and had to either present their platforms from behind a partition or through male supporters and relatives presenting for them.

The candidates were vying for about 2,100 council seats. An additional 1,050 seats are appointed with approval from King Salman, who could use his powers to appoint female candidates who don’t win outright. The candidates serve four-year terms that begin Jan. 1.

Despite women’s participation, there’s a widely held sentiment among many Saudis that women do not belong in public life.

Abdullah Al-Maiteb summed it up as he made his way into a polling station in Riyadh. “Her role is not in such places. Her role is at home managing the house and raising a new generation,” he said. “If we allow her out of the house to do such business, who is going to take care of my sons?”

Many Saudi women activists say more important than the right to vote is the easing of Saudi’s restrictive guardianship laws. Under such laws, women cannot obtain a passport, work in government, travel abroad or enter university without the permission of a male guardian.

Hatoon Al-Fassi, general coordinator for the Saudi Baladi Initiative that worked closely with women to raise voter awareness and increase female participation in the election, said the ultimate goal in this election wasn’t to win votes.

“It’s the right of being a citizen that I concentrate on and I consider this a turning point,” she said. “We are looking at it as an opportunity to exercise our right and to push for more.”