Saudi King Abdullah has given the kingdom's women the right to vote for first time in nationwide local elections, due in 2015.
| What we in the West don't appreciate is that the '2015' is on the Islamic calendar, not the Christian one... |
The king said in an annual speech on Sunday before his advisory assembly, or Shura Council, that Saudi women will be able to run and cast ballots in the 2015 municipal elections. Abdullah says women will also be appointed to "join the all-male" Shura Council.
Saudi Arabia held its first-ever municipal elections in 2005.
The kingdom will hold its next municipal elections on Thursday, but women are not able to vote or run at this time.
Women rights activists have long fought to gain the right to vote in the kingdom that applies a strict version of Sunni Islam and bans women from driving or travelling without the consent of a male guardian. |