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==Background==
[[Local elections|Municipal elections]] were originally planned to be held on 31 October 2009 in Saudi Arabia.<ref name="Star_KSA_municip_2011">{{cite news|title=Saudi Arabia to hold elections next month after year and a half delay|date=2011-03-22 |work=[[Toronto Star]]/[[Associated Press|AP]]|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/958117--saudi-arabia-to-hold-elections-next-month-after-year-and-a-half-delay|accessdate=2011-03-22|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5xNsBXcwF?url=http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/958117--saudi-arabia-to-hold-elections-next-month-after-year-and-a-half-delay|archivedate=2011-03-22|deadurl=no |df=}}</ref> The elections were not held in 2009. Governmental authorities stated that the delay was caused by the need to "expand the electorate and study the possibility of allowing women to vote."<ref name="Star_KSA_municip_2011"/> ''[[Associated Press]]'' described the announcement that an election would be held in 2011 as having "coincided with [[2011 Saudi Arabian protests|rumblings of dissent in Saudi Arabia]] stemming from the wave of political unrest in the Arab world."<ref name="Star_KSA_municip_2011"/> On 22–23 March 2011, officials of the [[Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia|Ministry of Municipal and Rural affairs]] announced that the elections would be held on 22 September 2011.<ref name="alawsat_details">{{cite news|author=Abeed al-Suhaimy|title=Saudi Arabia announces municipal elections|date=2011-03-23|work=[[Asharq al-Awsat]]|url=http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=24616 |accessdate=2011-04-02|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5xePFpuTH?url=http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1|archivedate=2011-04-02|deadurl=noyes|df=}}</ref>
Half of the local council seats were to be decided in the election and the other half were to be appointed.<ref name="Star_KSA_municip_2011"/><ref name="TheNational_KSA_municip_2011"/> The councils have "little power".<ref name="Star_KSA_municip_2011"/><ref name="TheNational_KSA_municip_2011"/>
==Electoral process==
Voter registration took place from 23 April to 19 May<ref name="Star_KSA_municip_2011"/><ref name="alawsat_details"/><ref name="TheNational_KSA_municip_2011">{{cite news|title=Women remain barred from voting as Saudi Arabia announces elections| date=2011-03-23|work=[[The National (Abu Dhabi)]]/[[Associated Press|AP]]/[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]| url=http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/women-remain-barred-from-voting-as-saudi-arabia-announces-elections |accessdate=2011-03-22|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5xNr7T4Xv?url=http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/women-remain-barred-from-voting-as-saudi-arabia-announces-elections|archivedate=2011-03-22|deadurl=noyes|df=}}</ref><ref> Early reports stated 23 April as the election date.</ref><ref name="GulfNews_women2325April"/> or 28 July.<ref name="ThReut_26April_elec" /> Candidate registration took place from 28 May to 2 June.<ref name="alawsat_details"/>
The period of electoral campaigning was to be decided after candidate registration had closed.<ref name="alawsat_details"/> The municipal councils were to be created in October, following the election, for a term of 6 years.<ref name="alawsat_details"/>
==Women's participation==
{{see also|Women's rights in Saudi Arabia|Women's suffrage}}
In late March, the [[Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia|Ministry of Municipal and Rural affairs]] stated that women would not vote in the 2011 elections "because of the kingdom's social customs".<ref name="Star_KSA_municip_2011"/> [[King Saud University]] history lecturer and human rights activist [[Hatoon al-Fassi]] involved in campaigning for women's participation in elections stated that women had decided to create their own municipal councils in parallel to the men-only elections.<ref name="arabiya_womenoutraged">{{cite news|title=In aim to start casting their votes Saudi women aim to create their own municipal council|date=March 2011|work=[[Al Arabiya]]| url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/04/01/143829.html|accessdate=2011-04-02 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5xeNGkicc?url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/04/01/143829.html|archivedate=2011-04-02|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref> Al-Fassi stated that women creating their own municipal councils or participating in "real elections" were both legal under Saudi law and electoral commission head al-Dahmash agreed with her.<ref name="arabiya_womenoutraged"/>
Saudi Arabian women organised through the "Baladi" (''My Country'') and Saudi Women's Revolution<ref name="saudi_women_revolution"/> to campaign for women's participation in the election.<ref name="bloom_women">{{cite news|author=Donna Abu-Nasr|title=Saudi Women Inspired by Fall of Mubarak Step Up Equality Demand|date=2011-03-28|work=[[Bloomberg L.P.]]| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-28/saudi-women-inspired-by-revolt-against-mubarak-go-online-to-seek-equality.html |accessdate=2011-04-02|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5xeO2w5aG?url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-28/saudi-women-inspired-by-revolt-against-mubarak-go-online-to-seek-equality.html|archivedate=2011-04-02|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref> From 23–25 April, women in Jeddah,<ref name="AJE_women2325April"/> Riyadh and [[Dammam]] tried to register as electors. The ''[[Gulf News]]'' said that "strong public opinion ... supporting women's participation in the election process" followed local newspapers' publication of photos of women waiting in queues to register for the election. Fawzia Al Hani, chair of the "Baladi" ''Facebook'' campaign, said that Saudi Arabian law states that women have the right to vote and to stand as candidates.<ref name="GulfNews_women2325April"/><ref name="eurasia_review">{{cite news|author=Rob L. Wagner|title=Saudi Arabia’s Municipal Elections: Tough Lessons Learned from Islamic Conservatives|date=2011-09-09|work=[[Eurasia Review]]|url=http://www.eurasiareview.com/09092011-saudi-arabia%E2%80%99s-municipal-elections-tough-lessons-learned-from-islamic-conservatives-analysis/|accessdate=2011-09-25 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5xeO2w5aG?url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-28/saudi-women-inspired-by-revolt-against-mubarak-go-online-to-seek-equality.html|archivedate=2011-04-02|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref>
One of the women whose registration had been rejected, [[Samar Badawi]], filed a lawsuit in the [[Legal system of Saudi Arabia#Court structure|Grievances Board]], a non-[[Sharia]] court,<ref name="Metz_KSA_legal_system"/> against the [[Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia|Ministry of Municipal and Rural affairs]], claiming that there was no law banning women as voters or candidates and that the refusal was illegal. She cited Articles 3 and 24 of the [[Arab Charter on Human Rights]], which refer to general and election-specific anti-discrimination, respectively. Badawi requested the Grievances Board to suspend the electoral procedures pending the Board's decision and to order the electoral authorities to register her as a voter and as eligible to be a candidate. On 27 April 2011, the Grievances Board accepted to hear her case at a later date.<ref name="sgazette_badawi_elections"/> The Board's final decision was that Badawi's case was "premature".<ref name="sgazette_badawi_elections_decision"/> According to the [[United States Department of State]], Badawi was the first person to file a lawsuit for women's suffrage in Saudi Arabia.<ref name="USStateDept_award"/>
==Results==
The elections covered 1056 seats in the councils of 285<ref name="oman_observer_electionday">{{cite news|title=Saudis vote in municipal elections, results on Sunday|date=2011-09-30|work=[[Oman Observer]]/[[Agence France Presse|AFP]]| url=http://main.omanobserver.om/node/66706 |accessdate=2011-12-14 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/63xUk7Xwe ?url=http://main.omanobserver.om/node/66706|archivedate=2011-12-1415|deadurl=noyes|df=}}</ref><ref name="ArabNews_285councils"/> municipalities around Saudi Arabia.
==See also==
==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="saudi_women_revolution">{{cite web|author=Mona Kareem|title =The Saudi Women Revolution Statement|work=Mona Kareem Blog|date =2011-03-18|url =http://monakareem.blogspot.com/2011/03/saudi-women-revolution-statement.html|accessdate=2011-04-06|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5xkdNbFqa ?url=http://monakareem.blogspot.com/2011/03/saudi-women-revolution-statement.html|archivedate=2011-04-06|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref>
<ref name="ArabNews_285councils">{{cite news|title=Women plan to show up at poll centers|date=2011-04-22|work=[[Arab News]]| url=http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article370053.ece |accessdate=2011-04-25|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5yDYxD8Hr ?url=http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article370053.ece|archivedate=2011-04-25|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref>
<ref name="GulfNews_women2325April">{{cite news |author=Abdul Nabi Shaheen| title=Saudi women defy ban to register for polls| date=2011-04-26|work=[[Gulf News]]|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-women-defy-ban-to-register-for-polls-1.799161|accessdate=2011-04-25|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5yDVNODav?url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-women-defy-ban-to-register-for-polls-1.799161|archivedate=2011-04-25|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref>
<ref name="AJE_women2325April">{{cite news|title=Voters register for Saudi municipal elections|date=2011-04-23|work=[[Al Jazeera English]]|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201142320134356901.html|accessdate=2011-04-25 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5yDWc5ard?url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201142320134356901.html|archivedate=2011-04-25|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref>
<ref name="ThReut_26April_elec">{{cite news|author=Asma Alsharif|author2=Joseph Logan |title=Saudi elections - Women seek vote| date=2011-04-26|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/26/us-saudi-election-idUSTRE73P1GZ20110426 |accessdate=2011-04-26 |archiveurl= https://www.webcitation.org/5yF6rhdQL ?url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/26/us-saudi-election-idUSTRE73P1GZ20110426|archivedate=2011-04-26|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref>
<ref name="sgazette_badawi_elections">{{cite news|title= Aspiring woman voter takes ministry to court|date=2011-04-29|work=[[Saudi Gazette]]|url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2011042999422|accessdate=2012-03-09 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/662lso2Eh?url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon|archivedate=2012-03-09|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref>
<ref name="sgazette_badawi_elections_decision">{{cite news|title=Woman's vote claim rejected|date=2011-05-29|work=[[Saudi Gazette]]| url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=20110529101838|accessdate=2012-03-09|archiveurl= https://www.webcitation.org/662mMEJ4U?url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon|archivedate=2012-03-09|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref>
<ref name="Metz_KSA_legal_system">{{cite web|last=Metz|first=Helen Chaplin|title=The Legal System. Saudi Arabia: A Country Study|year= 1992|publisher=[[United States Library of Congress]]|url=http://countrystudies.us/saudi-arabia/51.htm|accessdate=2012-02-24 |deadurl=no }}</ref>
<ref name="USStateDept_award">{{cite web|title=2012 International Women of Courage Award Winners|work=[[United States Department of State|US Dept of State]]|date=2012-02-05|url=https://www.state.gov/s/gwi/programs/iwoc/2012/bio/index.htm|accessdate=2012-02-09 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/662jRhJHC?url=http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/programs/iwoc/2012/bio/index.htm|archivedate=2012-0203-09|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref>
}}
==External links==
* [http://www.momra.gov.sa Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MOMRA)] (Arabic)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110812043942/http://baladi-sa.net/ women's suffrage "Baladi" campaign] (Arabic)
{{Saudi Arabian elections}}
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