Saudi women electioneers can't publish photos, address voters

E-Paper | March 03, 2026

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia allowed women to contest elections but the candidates participating in December 12 polls won't be able to address prospective voters directly, meet any male voters in public and even publish their photos, Arab News reported.

The Saudi election commission has warned all 366 registered candidates for upcoming municipal elections in the Kingdom that they must not publish their photographs or address their voters directly.

Officials have asked the women electioneers to appoint agents to do this on their behalf besides directing womenfolk to create separate sections for men and women at their campaign headquarters.

Any violation of this women-centric code of coduct will be punished with a fine of 10,000 Saudi Riyal.

Many female candidates questioned the decision which also requires them to cover any contractual costs with specialised companies to oversee their electoral campaign.

Integration or Isolation

Candidate Nassema Al-Sada said the while talking to Arab News asked how there can be any justice in the elections if the female candidate, like their male counterparts, cannot directly meet with voters to discuss their campaign.

She was of the view that the ban kills the very purpose of involvement of women in the electoral process, which is 'integration' not 'isolation'.

According to another candidate Mona Al-Hussein, the decision is a blow to the experience of women’s participation in the elections and must be reconsidered.

Nawal Al-Ramadan, a nurse, maintained that the ban is an obstacle to women’s involvement in the municipal elections and must be overturned.

Women were allowed to register to vote in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the first time in August. The December 12 elections will appoint new members to the municipal councils in Saudi Arabia.

In the councils themselves, half of the members will be elected while the other half will be officials selected by King Salman, ensuring power remains concentrated within the royal family.

Also Read: Saudi women allowed to register as local election candidates

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Dr.Arshad

Oct 13, 2015 02:53pm

A crude attempt to appease the west especially USA. It's a mockery of democracy and women enfranchisement.

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virendra

Oct 13, 2015 03:04pm

so much extremism in religious sense, for an ideology that is considered to be far outside the (acceptable) mainstream attitudes of society.

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joe33

Oct 13, 2015 03:24pm

To sum up, in Saudi Arabia, women are finally allowed to be candidates in elections, but with no pic of them, without addressing voters and without meeting any man ... All things, of course, that their male contenders can do. How fair! Need any comment? As always, with Saudi Arabia, audience never knows if laugh, cry or both! A simple evidence: this country is a vast medieval joke! Its level of absurdity is so high that, if you are kidnapped by aliens and you tell them about Saudi usages, they won't believe you and assume you must be making all up.

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Muhammad

Oct 13, 2015 03:37pm

Why all Saudi rules revolve around women

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Your Name

Oct 13, 2015 03:38pm

And this is what gives Islam a bad name

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Rashid Ishaq

Oct 13, 2015 03:39pm

Wise decision

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Oct 13, 2015 04:41pm

They have hit mute button for women

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Tech GS

Oct 13, 2015 04:53pm

In the eyes of all mighty all cast , creed and sex are same. What Saudi's are doing is injustice.

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Saint

Oct 13, 2015 05:02pm

The whole saudi system is based around protecting the monarchy and controlling society through their version of islam.

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Aub

Oct 13, 2015 05:08pm

Why they are so insecure about their womens.

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ZAK

Oct 13, 2015 05:08pm

So much for the Equal rights.

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JUSTICE

Oct 13, 2015 05:14pm

Saudi royal kingdom must come out from dark ages of history, they must give Saudi women equal rights as men. You can't keep women in isolation forever. Let Saudi women decide their own future.

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Nadeem

Oct 13, 2015 05:57pm

The ruling family is caught between two opposing forces. It tries to balance the two forces, with weird results. On the one hand, it seems to really want to be in the good books of the West by implementing the maximum number of Western values in the kingdom. But on the other hand, the family derives its legitimacy to rule from the 1750 agreement with Salafis who want a society as close as possible to the Medina of 7th century. You displease the West, and they stop supporting the king politically and militarily and you go the way of Hosni Mubarak, or the Shah. And you displease the Salafis too much, they too can do a lot of political damage to the king. Hence 'women can stand for election' (Western value)....... but they can't campaign (make the Salafis happy). Stay tuned for many other hybrids like this in which a horse's head is attached to a fox's body, or something like that.

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Onlooker (Sydney)

Oct 13, 2015 06:11pm

@Nadeem You nail it Nadeem. Can't have a better assessment. Unfortunately it is predicament of Saudi rulers and there is no easy way either.

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A common Pakistani

Oct 13, 2015 06:14pm

@Nadeem I would just like to include two points here: 1. Do salafies really want an Islamic society which is based on Prophet's (pbuh) governance design? I fail to see any uprisings and turmoil during Prophet's times which is now characteristic of today's Salaf. If that is the recommended way of establishing Sharia by creating a chaos among Muslims, why wasn't it adopted by Prophet pbuh himself? 2. Where does Islam prohibit a woman from standing in elections , as you described it as a rule being taken from Western values and introduced so as to diversify an ISLAMIC society.

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timepass

Oct 13, 2015 06:22pm

Good Job Saudi. This is true Islam. Hope Pakistan follow the same route.

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A common Pakistani

Oct 13, 2015 06:26pm

Sadly, this news just signifies an unwanted situation when tradition is mistakenly taken as religious dogma; when it has no sound basis in religion itself. Self-imposed restrictions

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Fahim Khan

Oct 13, 2015 06:49pm

What Saudi mindset has to do with Islam?

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Dr. Farooq Khan

Oct 13, 2015 07:24pm

As we have to pay the taxes we don't want to. Similarly, Saudi Govt. has the full right to decide better for their people. Please, stop portraying it as something hypothetical.

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M.ASIF

Oct 13, 2015 08:20pm

Are the Saudi women passports without their names, address and photographs? If elected, how would female members share the house with male counterparts? It is absurd. Pls it is not your subject, forget it. Be happy with expensive cars, tall buildings, palaces and gold made cutlery.

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KD (India)

Oct 13, 2015 09:01pm

@Fahim Khan : Aren't they the self declared custodians ?

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Unshackle Pakistan

Oct 13, 2015 10:21pm

@Dr. Farooq Khan If you are ok with government deciding for you how you or family should live their lives, eat, study and all else then good for you. Not everyone wants to be a robot asking for some higher power sitting in another city to decide what's best for them and their families. Liberty means the freedom of choice. Soviets tried that top down control and guidance and it collapsed the whole system and increased corruption to unprecedented levels. Many were purged to keep the regime going. Large control by government leads to serious problems. N Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, E Germany are all examples of top down control and results.

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noshin

Oct 13, 2015 11:05pm

royalty is fading human rights

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Alla Bux

Oct 14, 2015 01:38am

In S Arabia women were black all encompassing burkha. What harm is there if their photos are published? All you can see is their eyes. Who can recognize them from that? Male chauvinism at its worst.

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AXH

Oct 14, 2015 02:22am

With all these restrictions in place, what was the point to "permit" women to participate in elections? Those who "really" serve the masses need to get in touch with them on regular basis. This all defies the logic and common sense.

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Riaz Murtaza

Oct 14, 2015 02:38am

Saudi Arabia is a sovereign country. Let them decide what is good for them. We have seen big democracies big blunders and lots of human rights violations.

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Azaad

Oct 14, 2015 03:08am

@ZAK Indeed! Bother, at last we agree...Totally. 200 Million do not need to be cast in the mould of a few monarchists....

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Zeeshan

Oct 14, 2015 08:33am

@virendra what a great utilization of words to express the reality.

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ravi vancouver

Oct 14, 2015 11:05am

@JUSTICE Saudis are protectors of Islam, so they can not bend Islamic rules to please West or liberals. Saudis don't care what world thinks about them they follow their interpretation of Islam strictly. I admire their courage and sincerity for the religion they follow.

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