.... the length of time it has taken to reach this point raises doubts about the kingdom's ability to implement reform on the scale that will be needed to avoid an eventual collapse of the system. And the price of granting electoral rights to women is a further entrenchment of gender apartheid.
.... for this year's elections, everything seems to be in place to ensure that male and female voting goes ahead without any possibility of sexual hanky-panky. Of the 1,263 voting centres, more than a third have been reserved for female voters. Candidates will be allowed to address voters of the opposite sex, so long as they don't speak to them directly. Arab News reports:
"Male candidates can address female voters at the women's centres through audio circuit or CCTV, while female candidates can address voters at the men's centres through closed audio circuit." [al-bab.com] Read more
