Wait until our feminist worriors hear about this...
| Yes. They'll sleep like babies... |
Women are to be excluded from either voting or standing for office in the first partial elections ever to be held in Saudi Arabia, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday. Only male Saudis over the age of 21 will be eligible to vote or be elected in the upcoming municipal polls, the newspaper said quoting official sources. It said the elections will be held next April following registration of voters and candidates in September. The elections, which were announced last October, will be held to fill half of the seats on local and city councils. Those who wish to stand for office must be over 21, must be âable to read and writeâ and cannot have been convicted of fraud or have been bankrupt.
Besides women, military personnel and employees of the municipalities will be excluded from the vote, as will anyone contracted by the municipality. Earlier reports said the participation of women in the Shoura Council, a 90-member consultative body appointed by the king, was under consideration. Al-Watan said three committees would supervise the elections to the councils, which it said must have no fewer than four and no more than 14 members. Voters must have been registered with their local council for at least one year to qualify for the ballot and must not be registered in more than one locality. If the elections are a success then in future all council seats will be filled by public vote, the paper said quoting an unidentified official. |