Saudi Arabian women get their first taste of democracy

Voting registration for the December elections starts today and on August 30, they will even be allowed to register as candidates.

But women in the strict Sunni Muslim country still can't get a passport or open a bank account without a male guardian.

However, it has been seen as a move in the right direction for the nation, which has long been criticised by human rights organisations and other nations for oppressing women.

Adam Coogle, Human Rights Watch, said: 'This latest move also sends an important message to all sectors of Saudi society: That women, as well as men, have a stake in the country and are qualified to make decisions that affect the public interest.' 

The move was initiated by the now deceased King Abdullah who ordered it in 2011.

In 2013, he issued a royal decree stating that the Consultative Council, a royally appointed body that advises the King, be at least 20 per cent women.

Women will be allowed to vote and stand in the elections this December, but the people only choose half of the people on local councils. The other half are chosen by the monarch.

The move to allow women to vote and stand is a welcome surprise from the new king Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, said to be more aligned with hard-line conservatives that his predecessor.

According to local media, 70 women are looking to run as candidates, while another 80 have registered as campaign managers.

But despite being a step in the right direction, women still have very few rights because of the guardianship system that exists.

Women are not allowed to obtain a passport, marry, travel or access higher education without approval from a male guardian. This can be a husband or a relative.

Women are also forbidden to wear clothes that show off their beauty or make-up, and are required to lit the time they spend with men they are not related to.

Saudi Arabia sent female athletes to the London Olympic Games for the first time in 2012 but hard-line clerics denounced them as 'prostitutes'. 

Mr Coogle added: 'Saudi authorities should scrap the male guardianship system, under which ministerial policies and practices forbid women from obtaining a passport, marrying, traveling, or accessing higher education without the approval of a male guardian.

'Authorities also need to ensure Saudi women have full control over all of the major decisions that affect their lives.

'Only then will Saudi Arabia’s women be able to contribute to society on an equal footing with men.'

(dailymail.co.uk)