Saudi women seek greater election rights

By Abdel Wahab El Saleh in Riyadh
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-04-23

[Abdel Wahab El Saleh/Al Shorfa] Saudi women were not allowed to vote in the 2005 municipal elections.

When floods swept through Jeddah in December of 2009, Saudi women answered the call for volunteers to help in the natural disaster in large numbers. In fact, the ratio of volunteers was eight women to one man.

As Saudi women argue for the right to vote in, or even run in, municipal elections scheduled for early 2011, activists point to Jeddah as one proof of women's ability to contribute beyond their traditional roles.

"This proves women's readiness to work towards accelerating the development process, irrespective of their personal interests," said Souad Al-Shimiri, a lawyer and feminist.

Saudi women are currently waiting for approval from the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs to participate in the upcoming municipal elections.

Saudi Arabia held its first municipal elections in 2005. Saudi women were barred from running or voting in this election, but the government promised they would be allowed to vote in the 2009 elections.‎ The government later postponed this election several times, citing a 34-year-old election law, which was used during the 2005 elections. Officials want to have a revised election law ready by the end of this year.

A request from 36 municipal councils, however, to the ministry to hold "secret discussions" to decide upon women's participation as voters and as candidates in the municipal elections has aroused controversy.

Some members of municipal councils refused to comment on the idea of woman's participation in the upcoming elections while others said they were happy with allowing women to campaign and vote.

The head of Mecca's Municipality, Dr. Abd Al Mohsin Al Shaykh, confirmed that the issue was introduced to the municipalities and was discussed. He does not support allowing women to run in the elections but believes they should be allowed to vote.

"Women can play valuable and effective roles in social work such as family affairs, divorce and the nursery apart from the municipal affairs," he told Al-Shorfa.

The head of the municipal council in Jeddah, Hussein Baaqil, considered the move to hold discussions "strong evidence of women's effective role," adding, "The Jeddah Municipal Council is serious about women issues and gives them the opportunity to participate in meetings, symposiums and lectures."

"The presence of a woman at the head of municipalities will happen in the future after she has been granted the right to vote and participate in the election. The Saudi woman will not remain deprived of assuming her social responsibility," he said.

Some Saudi female activists, however, viewed the secrecy of the discussions as a step backward, expressing their disapproval of being barred from participating in public life.

"The Saudi woman is absolutely qualified to participate in public life whether in the Shura Council or in the municipalities," said al-Shimiri.

She criticised the heads of some municipalities who believe that "women's work on the municipal councils is not technically possible," pointing out that "this type of mentality" is one of the main obstacles that women face in Saudi Arabia.

Activist Ghada Al-Seif said, "The presence of women on the municipal councils has become a real necessity." She was referring to her own role in the electoral campaigns of the chambers of commerce.

Female participation in the election "is extremely important because the Saudi woman wants to prove herself locally and internationally through participation in building her society," Al-Sayf told Al-Shorfa.

She also believes that the model of King Abdullah University of Sciences and Technology, where male and female students and faculty mix on campus without restrictions, represents "a leading experiment in integration in the work environment and elimination of the barriers between man and woman in work and education."

Dr. Ameera Kashghari, an activist, said "the secrecy of discussions on the bill of women's participation in the municipal councils is a step backward, especially given that women were directly consulted on the issue and participated in dialogues with these councils."

"Women's success in the elections of the chambers of commerce proves their ability to succeed in other fields and positions," she said.

Kashghari added, "We need an official decision, and the Saudi leadership has expressed its belief in the necessity of women's participation in public life, which means that secrecy is meaningless."

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