The third and final stage of the local authority elections is taking place in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Citizens of Jedda and the rest of the Western Region will elect new municipal councils in Saudi Arabia’s historic first democratic elections, report Saudi news outlets.
The first phase of the local elections began on February 10 in the Central Region, which included the holy city of Mecca. On Thursday, some 333,000 voters will go to the polls, and elect 244 men for the local councils. According to Arab News, the elections are meant to fill half the seats of 178 municipal councils across the country. The government will appoint the remaining members.
Saudi women have been excluded from the ballot but authorities have promised that they will take part in the next elections scheduled for 2009. They cited technical and administrative problems for the current ban.
This comes only two days after an historic political reform was achieved in Kuwait. Women, for the first time, will be able to vote and be elected for local authorities. The Kuwaiti government also announced that this was only the first step, and that women would receive full political rights by the 2007 parliamentary elections.