Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Women will not be allowed to vote or run for office in Saudi Arabia’s first nationwide municipal elections next spring, the government said this week. When the elections were announced earlier this year, the participation of women wasn’t explicitly addressed, and many assumed that women would at least be able to vote. But officials said that there weren’t enough qualified women to run the female sides of the segregated polling places. Under the country’s strict Islamic law, it would be considered improper for women to cast their votes in the presence of male voting-booth attendants.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How military service works for K-pop idolsUnder The Radar All seven members of K-pop sensation BTS have now completed mandatory national service
-
The Week contest: Flight fraudPuzzles and Quizzes
-
Is Trump sidelining Congress' war powers?Today's Big Question The Iran attack renews a long-running debate
