For the first time in Saudi Arabia history, women voted and ran in local elections, resulting in twenty women getting elected for local government seats. The newly minted female politicians come from vastly different regions of the country, ranging from Saudi Arabia’s largest city to a small village near Mecca.
In Jiddah, three generations of women from the same family voted for the first time, including 94-year-old Naela Mohammad Nasief. Her daughter, Sahar Hassan Nasief, says this marks “the beginning” of greater rights for Saudi women.
“I walked in and said ‘I’ve have never seen this before. Only in the movies’,” remarked Ms. Nasief about the ballot box. “It was a thrilling experience.”
