Women’s Right to Vote in Saudi Arabia
Women’s Day Saudi Arabia / December 12, (2015)

Women’s Right to Vote in Saudi Arabia, Women's Suffrage

Introduction

Saudi Arabia has long been known for its conservative stance on women’s rights, with gender segregation and male guardianship systems deeply embedded in its social fabric. The journey toward women’s suffrage in the Kingdom represents one of the most recent advances in global women’s voting rights, occurring well into the 21st century. This article explores the path to women’s suffrage in Saudi Arabia, highlighting key dates, influential advocates, and the broader context of women’s rights in the Kingdom.




The Landmark Date: December 12, 2015

Women in Saudi Arabia officially exercised their right to vote for the first time on December 12, 2015, participating in municipal elections across the Kingdom. This historic moment came nearly four years after the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced on September 25, 2011, that women would be granted the right to vote and run for office in future municipal elections.

In his historic announcement, King Abdullah stated: “We refuse to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with sharia,” adding that women would also be eligible to serve on the Shura Council, the Kingdom’s consultative assembly.

The 2015 municipal elections marked not only the first time Saudi women could vote but also the first time they could stand as candidates. While this represented a significant milestone, it’s important to note that municipal councils in Saudi Arabia have limited authority, primarily handling local affairs and development projects rather than major national policies.

Saudi Arabia in Regional Context

Within the Middle East and North Africa region, Saudi Arabia was notably late in granting women’s suffrage:

As the list demonstrates, Saudi Arabia was the last country in the Gulf region and one of the last in the world to grant women voting rights.

The Path to Suffrage

The journey toward women’s suffrage in Saudi Arabia was gradual and occurred against the backdrop of broader, albeit slow, reforms in women’s rights:

Early Advocates and Silent Resistance

For decades before official recognition, Saudi women worked within the constraints of a highly restrictive society to advocate for greater rights:

  • Wajeha al-Huwaider: A prominent feminist who gained international attention for her campaigns against male guardianship and driving restrictions in the early 2000s
  • Hatoon al-Fassi: A historian and longtime advocate for women’s political participation who later became one of the first women to register to vote

Key Developments Leading to Suffrage

  • 2005: Saudi Arabia held its first nationwide municipal elections in its modern history, but women were excluded from both voting and running as candidates
  • 2009: King Abdullah appointed the first female minister, Norah al-Faiz, as deputy education minister
  • 2011: King Abdullah announced women would be permitted to vote and run as candidates in the 2015 municipal elections
  • 2013: Women were appointed to the Shura Council for the first time, with 30 women (20% of the total) joining the previously all-male consultative body
  • 2015: Registration for female voters and candidates opened in August, with the historic elections held in December

The Historic 2015 Municipal Elections

The 2015 municipal elections represented a watershed moment for Saudi women’s political participation:

  • Approximately 130,000 women registered to vote, compared to 1.35 million men
  • 978 women registered as candidates, alongside 5,938 men
  • 21 women were elected to municipal council seats across the Kingdom

Among the successful candidates was Salma bint Hizab al-Oteibi, who became the first elected female politician in Saudi history when she won a seat in the Madrakah municipality in Mecca province.

Despite the significance of the moment, women faced numerous practical obstacles to participation:

  • The voter registration period was brief and poorly publicized
  • Women needed identification cards, which many did not possess
  • Transportation limitations (as women were still banned from driving)
  • Strict gender segregation at polling stations
  • Restrictions on traditional campaigning methods for female candidates

Key Women in Saudi Arabia’s Suffrage Movement

Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi

A historian and professor specializing in women’s history, Dr. al-Fassi was among the first women to register to vote in 2015. She founded the “Baladi” (My Country) initiative in 2010 to prepare women for eventual political participation. While she registered as a candidate in 2015, she was unable to campaign effectively due to restrictions on women candidates addressing male voters directly. In 2018, she was detained during a crackdown on women’s rights activists and later released in 2019.

Loujain al-Hathloul

Though more prominently known for her driving activism, al-Hathloul’s advocacy extended to broader political rights for women. Her persistent campaigning for women’s rights led to multiple arrests, most notably in 2018 when she was imprisoned for nearly three years. Her imprisonment highlighted the paradox of expanding women’s formal rights while restricting activism.

Thoraya Obaid

As the first Saudi national to head a UN agency (the United Nations Population Fund from 2000-2010), Obaid was among the first women appointed to the Shura Council in 2013. Her international experience and diplomatic skills made her an important voice in advancing women’s political participation from within the system.

Madeha al-Ajroush

A longtime women’s rights activist and psychotherapist, al-Ajroush participated in Saudi Arabia’s first driving protest in 1990 and continued advocating for women’s rights, including political participation, throughout her career. She was briefly detained in 2018 during the crackdown on women’s rights activists.

Suffrage in the Context of Broader Reforms

Women’s voting rights in Saudi Arabia cannot be viewed in isolation but must be considered part of a complex and sometimes contradictory reform process:

Economic Vision 2030

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 economic reform plan, launched in 2016, explicitly aims to increase women’s workforce participation from 22% to 30%. This economic imperative has accelerated certain women’s rights reforms.

Other Significant Rights Milestones

  • June 2018: Women granted the right to drive
  • August 2019: Significant reforms to the guardianship system allowing women to apply for passports and travel without male guardian approval
  • 2021: Labor law reforms providing additional protections against discrimination

Persistent Restrictions

Despite these advances, significant limitations on women’s autonomy remain:

  • Elements of the male guardianship system persist
  • Strict interpretations of gender segregation continue in many settings
  • Women’s rights activists have faced imprisonment and intimidation
  • Social and family restrictions often limit the exercise of legal rights

Impact and Significance

The granting of suffrage to Saudi women, while relatively recent and limited in scope, represents an important symbolic shift in one of the world’s most gender-restrictive societies. The participation of women in municipal elections has set a precedent for further political involvement, with increasing numbers of women taking on public roles previously closed to them.

The right to vote has particular significance in a country where women have historically been excluded from public life. While municipal councils have limited power, the experience of political participation has provided Saudi women with a foundation for greater civic engagement and representation.

Women’s Right to Vote in Saudi Arabia

The story of women’s suffrage in Saudi Arabia is still being written. The milestone of December 12, 2015, when Saudi women first cast their ballots, marks not an endpoint but rather the beginning of a new chapter in the ongoing struggle for gender equality in the Kingdom. While Saudi Arabia was among the last nations globally to grant women voting rights, the pace of change has accelerated in recent years, suggesting potential for further advances in women’s political representation and participation.

As Saudi society continues to navigate the balance between tradition and modernization, the increasing visibility and voice of Saudi women in political processes represents a significant, if still limited, transformation in gender relations in the Kingdom.

Facts and figures

Leadership and political participation – [UN Women]
IPU-UN Women in politics map – [IPU]