Saudi dictatorship’s concession to women’s movement

This video is called Saudi women driving for change.

From daily The Morning Star in Britain:

Saudi women get vote as king aims to defuse unrest

Sunday 25 September 2011

Saudi Arabian King Abdullah said today he will give women the right to vote in local elections from next year.

The despot said women would be able to run for municipal office and he would also appoint some to the Shura Council, which has the right to advise the monarch.

He said he had taken the decision “because we refuse to marginalise women in all roles that comply with sharia law.”

But critics suspect the reform could be an attempt to reduce discontent after the Arab spring undermined the authority of tyrants throughout the Middle East.

Campaigners welcomed the decision but pointed out that women still face severe discrimination in Saudi Arabia, not being allowed to drive or leave the country unaccompanied.

The right to vote holds symbolic importance but since the king retains the sole right to pass legislation in the absolute monarchy it is of limited practical value.