Women in Saudi Arabia voting for first time Saturday Dec 12,2015

 

Saudi Arabia is going to the polls in unprecedented municipal elections in which women can cast a ballot for the first time on Saturday Dec 12,2015

There are 2,100 council seats available in Saturday's vote. An additional 1,050 seats are appointed with approval from the king.

The results of the elections are expected to be announced later on Saturday.

Women are also standing as candidates, another first, despite the conservative kingdom being the only nation where women are not allowed to drive.

A total of 978 women have registered as candidates, alongside 5,938 men.

Female candidates have had to speak behind a partition during campaign appearances or be represented by a man

About 130,000 women have registered to vote, officials say. That figure still falls well short of male voter registration, which stands at 1.35 million.

Salma al-Rashed was the first woman to register to vote. "It felt really good," she told

Note

Elections themselves are a rare thing in the Saudi kingdom - Saturday will be only the third time in history that Saudis have gone to the polls.

There were no elections in the 40 years between 1965 and 2005.

The decision to allow women to take part was taken by the late King Abdullah and is seen as a key part of his legacy.

As Saudi Women Vote For the 1st Time, 9 Things They Still Can't Do

Under Saudi Policies And Practices Women Cannot:

• Drive. Saudi Arabia is the world's only country banning women from getting behind the wheel.
• Travel, without the consent of a male family member known as a guardian
• Marry, without the consent of a guardian
• Work, without the consent of a guardian
• Appear in public without covering herself in a black abaya robe from head to toe
• Receive the same amount of inheritance as a man
• Work in certain jobs
• Mingle with unrelated men in public places such as restaurants
• Divorce as easily as a man