Saudi Women Gain Right to Vote, Run for Office

That is, if a nearby male relative can drive them to the polls.

King Abdullah announced Sunday morning that women in Saudi Arabia would gain new political roles. In a speech to the Shura advisory Council, he said that women will have the right to vote in municipal elections, the kingdom’s only public polls. They’ll also be allowed to run as candidates and join the Shura Council as members as of next term. A commerce and industry official also announced 30,000 jobs would be opened for women in the kingdom's industrial sector. Next on the agenda for liberal and women’s rights advocates in Saudi Arabia: driving, movement, and medical autonomy.