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Saudi king: women can vote and be elected
Source: Agencies |
September 26, 2011, Monday
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SAUDI Arabia will allow women to stand for election and vote, the king announced yesterday, in a significant policy shift in the Islamic kingdom.
In a five-minute speech, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud said women will also take part in the next session of the unelected, advisory Shura Council, which vets legislation but has no executive powers.
In a speech to the advisory body, the king said: "Because we refuse to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior, to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from the next term.
"Women will be able to run as candidates in the municipal election and will even have a right to vote."
Women's rights are regarded as a litmus test for the government's appetite for social and political reform. Saudi Arabia adheres to a strict version of Islamic law that enforces segregation of the sexes.
"This is great news," said Wajeha al-Huwaider, a Saudi writer and women's rights activist. "Women's voices will finally be heard.
"Now it is time to remove other barriers, like not allowing women to drive cars and not being able to function, to live a normal life, without male guardians."
The king did not address the issue of women being allowed to drive. Although there is no written law against women driving, they are not issued licences, effectively banning the practice.
A campaign this summer by women who broke the law by driving prompted some arrests.
Women in Saudi Arabia must also have written approval from a male guardian - father, husband, brother or son - to leave the country, work or even undergo certain medical procedures.
The king, in his late 80s, read only a section of a longer prepared statement that was later released by the authorities.
The part he did not read included reference to Saudi foreign policy, including the kingdom's continued support of a Gulf-brokered plan for a power transition in Yemen.
King Abdullah has been making cautious political reforms. He built a new university for students of both sexes and encouraged women to participate more in the labour market.
Activists in the country have long called for greater rights for women. Ruled by an absolute monarchy supported by conservative clerics, this is a country where religious police patrol the streets to ensure public segregation of men and women.
Saudi Arabia will hold nationwide elections on Thursday for seats on municipal councils, but critics say the poll, in which voting is limited to men, is a charade.
In a five-minute speech, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud said women will also take part in the next session of the unelected, advisory Shura Council, which vets legislation but has no executive powers.
In a speech to the advisory body, the king said: "Because we refuse to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior, to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from the next term.
"Women will be able to run as candidates in the municipal election and will even have a right to vote."
Women's rights are regarded as a litmus test for the government's appetite for social and political reform. Saudi Arabia adheres to a strict version of Islamic law that enforces segregation of the sexes.
"This is great news," said Wajeha al-Huwaider, a Saudi writer and women's rights activist. "Women's voices will finally be heard.
"Now it is time to remove other barriers, like not allowing women to drive cars and not being able to function, to live a normal life, without male guardians."
The king did not address the issue of women being allowed to drive. Although there is no written law against women driving, they are not issued licences, effectively banning the practice.
A campaign this summer by women who broke the law by driving prompted some arrests.
Women in Saudi Arabia must also have written approval from a male guardian - father, husband, brother or son - to leave the country, work or even undergo certain medical procedures.
The king, in his late 80s, read only a section of a longer prepared statement that was later released by the authorities.
The part he did not read included reference to Saudi foreign policy, including the kingdom's continued support of a Gulf-brokered plan for a power transition in Yemen.
King Abdullah has been making cautious political reforms. He built a new university for students of both sexes and encouraged women to participate more in the labour market.
Activists in the country have long called for greater rights for women. Ruled by an absolute monarchy supported by conservative clerics, this is a country where religious police patrol the streets to ensure public segregation of men and women.
Saudi Arabia will hold nationwide elections on Thursday for seats on municipal councils, but critics say the poll, in which voting is limited to men, is a charade.
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