Saudi Arabian municipal elections, 2011
Encyclopedia
Municipal elections in Saudi Arabia
n towns and cities, initially planned for 31 October 2009, are to be held on 29 September 2011 (a week after the initial date of 22 September 2011). Women may not participate in the elections. Women are campaigning for the right to participate
in the official elections and are planning to create parallel municipal councils.
described the announcement that an election would be held in 2011 as having "coincided with rumblings of dissent in Saudi Arabia
stemming from the wave of political unrest in the Arab world." On 22–23 March 2011, officials of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural affairs
announced that the elections would held on 22 September 2011.
Half of the local council seats are to be decided in the election and the other half are appointed. The councils have "little power".
The period of electoral campaigning will be decided after candidate registration has closed. The municipal councils will be created in October, following the election, and will have a term of 6 years.
set up an 11-member electoral commission, headed by Abdul-Rahman al-Dahmash and an executive committee that it "will facilitate the operations of the special electoral commission, and [will] take all the necessary measures to ensure the success of the municipal elections."
stated that women would not vote in the 2011 elections "because of the kingdom's social customs". King Saud University
history lecturer and human rights activist Hatoon al-Fassi
involved in campaigning for women's participation in elections stated that women had decided to create their own municipal councils in parallel to the men-only elections. Al-Fassi stated that women creating their own municipal councils or participating in "real elections" were both legal under Saudi law and electoral commission head al-Dahmash agreed with her.
Saudi Arabian women are organising through the "Baladi" (My Country) and Saudi Women's Revolution to campaign for women's participation in the election. From 23–25 April, women in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam
tried to register as electors. The Gulf News
said that "strong public opinion ... supporting women's participation in the election process" followed local newspapers' publication of photos of women waiting in queues to register for the election. Fawzia Al Hani, chair of the "Baladi" Facebook campaign, said that Saudi Arabian law states that women have the right to vote and to stand as candidates.
Saudi King Abdullah said in an annual speech on 25 September 2011 before his advisory assembly, or Shura Council
, that Saudi women will be able to run and cast ballots in the 2015 municipal elections.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n towns and cities, initially planned for 31 October 2009, are to be held on 29 September 2011 (a week after the initial date of 22 September 2011). Women may not participate in the elections. Women are campaigning for the right to participate
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
in the official elections and are planning to create parallel municipal councils.
Background
Municipal elections were originally planned to be held on 31 October 2009 in Saudi Arabia. The elections were not held in 2009. Governmental authorities stated that the delay was caused by the need to "expand the electorate and study the possibility of allowing women to vote." Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
described the announcement that an election would be held in 2011 as having "coincided with rumblings of dissent in Saudi Arabia
2011 Saudi Arabian protests
The 2011 Saudi Arabian protests have been influenced by the Arab Spring that started with the 2011 Tunisian revolution. One of the main online organisers of a planned 11 March "Day of Rage", Faisal Ahmed Abdul-Ahad , was alleged to have been killed by Saudi security forces on 2 March, by which time...
stemming from the wave of political unrest in the Arab world." On 22–23 March 2011, officials of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural affairs
Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Council of Ministers is the Cabinet of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is led by the King who is Prime Minister. The Council consists of the Prime Minister, the Crown Prince, who is Deputy Prime Minister, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers...
announced that the elections would held on 22 September 2011.
Half of the local council seats are to be decided in the election and the other half are appointed. The councils have "little power".
Electoral process
Voter registration started on 23 April and should continue to 19 May or 28 July. Candidate registration will take place from 28 May to 2 June.The period of electoral campaigning will be decided after candidate registration has closed. The municipal councils will be created in October, following the election, and will have a term of 6 years.
Electoral commission
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural affairsCouncil of Ministers of Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Council of Ministers is the Cabinet of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is led by the King who is Prime Minister. The Council consists of the Prime Minister, the Crown Prince, who is Deputy Prime Minister, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers...
set up an 11-member electoral commission, headed by Abdul-Rahman al-Dahmash and an executive committee that it "will facilitate the operations of the special electoral commission, and [will] take all the necessary measures to ensure the success of the municipal elections."
Women's participation
In late March, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural affairsCouncil of Ministers of Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Council of Ministers is the Cabinet of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is led by the King who is Prime Minister. The Council consists of the Prime Minister, the Crown Prince, who is Deputy Prime Minister, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers...
stated that women would not vote in the 2011 elections "because of the kingdom's social customs". King Saud University
King Saud University
King Saud University is a public university located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdul Aziz as Riyadh University, as the first university in the kingdom not dedicated to religious subjects. The university was created to meet the shortage of skilled workers in...
history lecturer and human rights activist Hatoon al-Fassi
Hatoon al-Fassi
Dr Hatoon Ajwad al-Fassi is a women's rights activist and an assistant professor of women's history at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, where she has been employed since 1989. At the university, al-Fassi carries out historical research...
involved in campaigning for women's participation in elections stated that women had decided to create their own municipal councils in parallel to the men-only elections. Al-Fassi stated that women creating their own municipal councils or participating in "real elections" were both legal under Saudi law and electoral commission head al-Dahmash agreed with her.
Saudi Arabian women are organising through the "Baladi" (My Country) and Saudi Women's Revolution to campaign for women's participation in the election. From 23–25 April, women in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam
Dammam
Dammam is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, the most oil-rich region in the world. The judicial and administrative bodies of the province and several government departments are located in the city. Dammam is the largest city in the Eastern Province and third largest in Saudi...
tried to register as electors. The Gulf News
Gulf News
Gulf News is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates with a December 2009 BPA audited circulation of over 117,036 qualified copies...
said that "strong public opinion ... supporting women's participation in the election process" followed local newspapers' publication of photos of women waiting in queues to register for the election. Fawzia Al Hani, chair of the "Baladi" Facebook campaign, said that Saudi Arabian law states that women have the right to vote and to stand as candidates.
Saudi King Abdullah said in an annual speech on 25 September 2011 before his advisory assembly, or Shura Council
Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia
The Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia also known as Majlis as-Shura or Shura Council is the formal advisory body of Saudi Arabia, which is an absolute monarchy. It cannot pass or enforce laws, a power reserved for the King. The Consultative Assembly has limited powers in government, including...
, that Saudi women will be able to run and cast ballots in the 2015 municipal elections.