| And they're going to be allowed to go shopping by themselves somewhere around 2198... |
Former Saudi female candidates for the upcoming municipal elections had varied responses after a senior election official yesterday said that women would be allowed to vote in 2009. Prince Mansour ibn Miteb, chairman of the General Committee for Municipal Elections, explained that the only reason women were not allowed to vote in this round was because municipal elections are a new experience and the short time given to prepare for them made it impossible to allow women's participation this time. Faten Bunduggi, the director of women's empowerment and research at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry said: "It is a very good news if the statement is true; it shows that the government is empowering women to take part in political decision making in the country. In the meantime, we hope that the government would consider allocating female representatives, as fifty percent of the municipal seats will be appointed." Bunduggi added that she hoped women would be appointed at least from the major cities like Riyadh and Jeddah. |