Riyadh: Saudi women will be granted the right to vote in the next municipal elections due to be held in four years, said the head of the election committee, Abdul Rahman Al Dahmash in press statements.
However, he did not say whether they will be allowed to stand as candidates or not.
He revealed that a study is under way for a new municipal elections law, adding that the legal age for voting will be changed from 21 to 18.
Meanwhile, voter registration for this year's September elections began on Saturday.
Boycott
The decision taken by the concerned authorities to ban women from voting in this year's elections has disappointed women and men who advocate for women's rights in the Kingdom.
Numerous calls were reported in some local newspapers and on internet websites calling for the boycott of the elections.
The chairman of the elections committee criticised such calls, describing the callers as "swimming against the current."
The Saudi National Commission for Human Rights, a non-governmental human rights body, said banning women from taking part in elections violates the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which the Kingdom ratified in 2000.
Poll registration centres in the capital Riyadh and some other parts of the Kingdom reported low turnout.
However, Al Dahmash expressed optimism that the coming few days will witness more registration. Coinciding with popular uprisings in a number of Arab countries, this round of Saudi municipal elections were viewed by many observers as part of the massive political and economic policy reform.
