(Washington) …October 15, 2003 …The Saudi government announced the start of necessary steps in less than a year to hold partial municipal elections that excludes women from voting and nomination.
The exclusion of women and the partial nature of the election raised doubts to the true nature of the announced steps. Fully elected municipal councils were active in several Saudi cities until they were canceled in 1975 by defacto ruler then and King Fahd.
All neighboring countries, except Kuwait, allow women to vote and run for local and national elections.
The Saudi Institute in Washington issued a statement expressing disappointment with the US State Department for welcoming the partial elections that excluded women.
“Welcoming any step that excludes women is abhorrent and refused,” said the statement.
“Women must be allowed to vote and run for office to qualify this step as reforms,” said Ali Alyami, Senior fellow at the Saudi Institute.
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