IPU has welcomed the decision today by Saudi Arabia to put in place a 20 per cent quota for women in the country’s parliament - the Shura Council, and the immediate appointment of 30 women to the 150-member advisory body.
The move makes the Gulf country the fourth highest in the Arab region in terms of women’s political participation in parliament, according to IPU data on women in parliament.
IPU has been closely monitoring the progressive opening of political life to women in Saudi Arabia. Until the announcement last September by King Abdullah to give women the right to vote, stand for election in municipal elections and be appointed to the Shura Council, the Gulf country remained the only country in the world where women remained excluded from the political process.
“IPU welcomed the initial announcement last year as a historic moment. Today’s decision is another step forward not just on women’s political rights but also in helping to transform parliament into a more representative and responsive body for the Saudi people as a whole,” says IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson.
Other press releases