MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. local time [05:00 GMT], with men and women casting ballots at separate voting centers.
In 2015, nearly 1,000 Saudi women joined about 7,000 men seeking seats in 284 municipal councils in various regions of the kingdom, according to the Los Angeles Times, citing the Municipal Elections Executive Committee data.
Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where women have been forbidden to take part in the elections. Previous municipal elections in the country were held in 2005 and 2011, respectively.
