[Arab News] Soddy Arabia announced Monday that it was not yet ready for women participating in next month's municipal elections as voters or candidates. "We are not ready for the participation of women in these municipal elections," Election Commissioner Abdul Rahman Al-Dahmash said.Speaking to news hounds in Riyadh, Al-Dahmash, however, promised that women would be allowed to participate in the next elections.
...or maybe the one after that.
He cited a number of procedural reasons for the ban on women voting. "Participation of women in elections took place in most advance countries gradually," he pointed out.
He said the municipal elections would take place on April 23 all over the Kingdom at the same time. A person is allowed to vote only once in favor of a candidate in his constituency, he said.
Al-Dahmash urged Saudis to elect qualified people to the councils in order to strengthen local bodies. "Municipal councils allow a large number of citizens to participate in the management of municipal services," he said. The number of municipal councils in the country has been increased from 179 to 285 and polling stations from 631 to 855, he pointed out. The commission is now in the process of preparing a list of voters.