Saudi elects first female councillor

A woman has won a seat on a municipal
council for the first time in Saudi Arabia, after
the kingdom lifted its ban on women taking
part in elections.
Salma bint Hizab al-Oteibi won a seat in Mecca
province in Saturday’s vote, the BBC reports.
Women have also won in several other regions
in the country, including Jeddah and Qatif,
reports suggest.
The election was the first where women were
allowed to vote and stand as candidates, and is
being viewed as a landmark in the conservative
kingdom.
Saudi women still face many curbs in public
life, including driving.
A total of 978 women registered as candidates,
alongside 5,938 men.
Officials said about 130,000 women had
registered to vote in Saturday’s poll, compared
with 1.35 million men.
The disparity was attributed by female voters to
bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of transport,
the AFP news agency says.