Saudi Arabia to give women the vote and right to run in elections

[Truronian]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15052030

Women in Saudi Arabia are to be given the right to vote and run in future municipal elections, King Abdullah has announced.

He said they would also have the right to be appointed to the consultative Shura Council.

The move was welcomed by activists who have called for greater rights for women in the kingdom, which enforces a strict version of Sunni Islamic law.

The changes will occur after municipal polls on Thursday, the king said.

King Abdullah announced the move in a speech at the opening of the new term of the Shura Council - the formal body advising the king, whose members are all appointed.

"Because we refuse to marginalise women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior clerics and others... to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from next term," he said.

"Women will be able to run as candidates in the municipal election and will even have a right to vote."

<snip>

Hopefully enfranchising half the population will pave the way for further reforms. Is this the result of cultural pressure from the West?

 

[Lone Wolf]

Hopefully enfranchising half the population will pave the way for further reforms. Is this the result of cultural pressure from the West?

I think that the U$A did this with the goal of destroying the proud Saudi culture and turning Saudi Arabia into an impoverished American puppet. Every progressive person needs to oppose this disgraceful suffrage act.

 

[Smellincoffee]

They may have the legal right, but I wonder if traditionalists would bid their subject-wives to stay at home regardless.

 

[Lillefix]

They have elections?

 

[NovaKart]

I think part of the original problem was that women may have to show ID and reveal their faces. Of course if they had separate polling places staffed by women that would take care of the problem if they could get enough women to staff the place.

They do have elections but I think most of the authority is still in the royal family.

 

[asbestos]

municipal elections

 

[Lillefix]

municipal elections

I honestly think it's the only vote that counts. It is considered an absolute monarchy after all.

 

[jtb1127]

They're on the right track. Now they just need to get rid of their antiquated king. It's 2011, time to get rid of Louis XIV.

 

[Theov]

They'll get there...

 

[NovaKart]

Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Oman are all monarchies too I think. It's pretty common in the region. Jordan and Morocco have kings too but I don't know how much authority they have.

 

[Agent Cooper]

When the oil starts to dry up and the world economy has exchanged it's dependency on oil with other types of fuel/alternative energy sources, Saudi Arabia and other ME states will most likely collapse if no change of significance happens to how the nation is ruled and what they are going to prosper from in the future.

 

[Joecoolyo]

Are women still not allowed to drive cars there?

 

[Tani Coyote]

If this is serious, my goodness this is a massive step in the right direction.

Of course, I'm sure there will be some means to limit their power so this is really just a bread and circuses measure.

Such as the aforementioned intimidation of women by their "husbands," a polite code word for the pigs who treat them like dirt rather than a mate.

That all the members of the Shura Council are appointed also means it's up to the higher ups who gets in, so this really will be just a change on paper.

Now, call me when the Saudis stop executing gays. No, scratch that, call me when they realise dogmatic ideology is not the foundation of a good state.

 

[jtb1127]

Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Oman are all monarchies too I think. It's pretty common in the region. Jordan and Morocco have kings too but I don't know how much authority they have.

I'm aware. They all have outdated governments.

Are women still not allowed to drive cars there?

No, they cannot drive. They can't leave the country either unless they have their husband or a relative.

If this is serious, my goodness this is a massive step in the right direction.

I don't think it will change much. The environment is still unsuitable for a woman. If she were running would she have to be escorted around town by her male relatives? And I think the pig population is still too high for a woman to be elected. The country is still crap like you said.

 

[Miles Teg]

"Honey, could you drive me to the election center? I really want to vote this year."

"No!"

"Well, I'm so glad I have the theoretical right to vote."

 

[NovaKart]

From what I've heard in Saudi Arabia it's also not allowed to have non-Muslim places of worship. There is a large guest worker population such as Philippinos who are Christian but they can't go to church.

They even have a problem with Christian symbols. I read a non-fiction book where a man said some Saudis were interested in a film he had been involved with making and showing it in Saudi Arabia since it was about sports and didn't have any objectionable material except some of the kids in it were wearing crosses and they wanted that cut out of the movie. So even showing a cross in a movie is not allowed.

Someone I knew who worked in Saudi Arabia said mentioning alcohol is not allowed either. He taught English there and he said in the textbooks if there's any mention of alcohol it has to be blacked out. Like Tom and Michelle had a glass of wine with dinner.

 

[Tani Coyote]

I don't think it will change much. The environment is still unsuitable for a woman. If she were running would she have to be escorted around town by her male relatives? And I think the pig population is still too high for a woman to be elected. The country is still crap like you said.

Yeah, not much will change until respect for liberal ideas overshadows the respect for tradition.

Which will take a while. But at least it's a slight improvement, even if it won't amount to much.

Quite frankly, I wish the pro-feminist camp had enough support and equipment they could stage a revolution against the status quo. Join the Arab Spring and deal with this backwards regime at last.

Of course, the USA wouldn't like that.

 

[aelf]

Sounds like a political move. Maybe the king wants to weaken the conservatives?

 

[NovaKart]

I just spoke with one of my Saudi friend about this. He said his wife wasn't interested in voting and he wasn't either since they're just voting for municipal elections which don't impact people much.

 

[Cutlass]

Sounds like a political move. Maybe the king wants to weaken the conservatives?

I would expect the opposite. That the move is meant to disarm the opponents of the conservatives by depriving them of an issue. This is only municipal elections, after all. It has nothing to do with how the nation is run.