Saudi Gazette Saudi women were given the right to vote and run in municipal elections last September according to the royal decree by King Abdullah. Women are to be active members of the community, participants in the decision making process of their cities, and a part of the workforce and labor market as well. Soon after the announcement, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs compiled a list of criteria that the women must meet to be eligible to run for municipal elections and the ministry also amended some of the criteria for the men running for elections. One difference between the men and women is the age factor. For a woman to be nominated for a seat in a municipal council, she must be thirty years of age or older, whereas the minimum age for a man is twenty-five years. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs changed the educational requirements for both men and women, stating that at least a university degree is a must for both men and women who want to be members of the municipal council. In previous elections, anyone with a high school degree was eligible to run for municipal elections. In addition, the ministry announced that any man or woman who sees themselves as fit to run for municipal elections and to serve their communities could nominate themselves. A committee is also being created for the municipal council of each district in the Kingdom to investigate, inspect, and supervise the nomination and election process, to prevent any unjust or unlawful practice on the part of the nominees. __
