King Abdullah gives women right to vote

RIYADH: King Abdullah announced on Sunday he was giving women the right to vote and run in municipal elections, the only public polls in the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom.

He also announced that women would have the right to join the all-appointed Shura (consultative) Council, in an address opening a new term of the council.

"Starting with the next term, women will have the right to run in municipal elections and to choose candidates, according to Islamic principles," he said.

This means that women will be able to take part in the elections that will be held in four years as the next vote is due to take place on Thursday and nominations for those polls are already in.

"We have decided that women will participate in the Shura Council as members starting the next term," the king also said in an unexpected move to enfranchise women in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011