Addressing the opening session of the annual Majlis Al-Shura (Consultative Council) meeting, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah announced on September 25 2011, that women will for the first time have the right to vote in the third municipal elections due in 2015. He also announced that women will be appointed to the Council beginning in the next session. Since Saudi Arabia held its first municipal elections in 2005, Women have been working hard to gain their right to be a part of them, so this groundbreaking decision finally granting them their first political rights is considered as a historic precedent in recognising women’s role in society and politics. This event has been widely covered by both local and international press. Some consider this as a slow progress in women’s rights but others see this as a positive and important step in Saudi women’s empowerment. Learn more about this in the special focus and add more articles!

Special focus in the news

• King Solves Gender Inequality, Saudi Media Say: Noe & Raad (Bloomberg.com 04.10.2011)

• Cosby: Saudi Arabia not alone in gender inequality (kansan.com 03.10.2011)

• Life for Saudi women is a constant state of contradiction (Guardian.co.uk 29.09.2011)

• Outrage over flogging sentence against woman driver (arabnews.com 28.09.2011)]

• Foreign Policy: All The King's Women (npr.org 28.09.2011)

• Women react after Saudi King gives them the right to vote (washington.com 27.09.2011)

• Saudi Arabia and Its Women (NYtimes.com 26.09.2011)

• King Abdullah grants women the vote (arabnews.com 26.09.2011)

• Saudi Arabia gives women the vote... but not until 2015 (dailymail.co.uk 26.09.2011)

• King Abdullah supports Arab women rights (Alarabiya.net 26.09.2011)

• King Abdullah Gives Saudi Women Right to Vote for First Time (sfgate.com 26.09.2011)

• Saudi women can vote, not drive (news24.com 26.09.2011)

• Saudi King Gives Women the Right to Vote- Modest Changes Take Effect in 2015; Females Are Still Forbidden to Drive (wsj.com 26.09.2011)

• Women to vote in 2015 Saudi Arabia elections (thepeninsula.com 26.09.2011)

• Saudi women to vote in 2015 (thechronicleherald.ca 26.09.2011)

• First step for Saudi women's rights (BBC.co.uk 25.09.2011)

• Saudi King Advances Political Rights for Women (marketwatch.com 25.09.2011)

• Saudi Arabia gives women right to vote (Guardian.co.uk 25.09.2011)

• Saudi society to change forever (Arabnews.com 25.09.2011)

• Saudi women given right to vote, run as candidates for first time (washingtonpost.com 25.09.2011)

• A dream come true for the other half (arabnews.com 25.09.2011)

• Les Saoudiennes obtiennent le droit de vote à partir de 2015 (lemonde.fr 25.09.2011)

• Saudi Monarch Grants Women Right to Vote (NYtimes.com 25.09.2011)

• US welcomes Saudi move giving women the vote (AFP 25.09.2011)

• Britain praises Saudi decision to give women the vote (AFP 25.09.2011)

• Saudi Arabia's slow progress on women's rights (Guardian.co.uk 25.09.2011)

• Saudi king gives women right to vote (Reuters.com 25.09.2011)

See also

• Special Focus archive
• Community Portal
• Community Portal blogs
• Community Portal reports and publications
• Gender in the Media
• Gender in the Media archive