Thousands of Saudi women are heading to polling stations across the kingdom on Saturday to participate in elections for the first time, both as voters and candidates.
Nearly 6,000 men and around 980 women are standing as candidates for local municipal council seats. More than 130,000 women have registered to vote, compared to 1.35 million men.
The country's General Election Commission says there are at least 5 million eligible voters in a population of 20 million, but the figure could be much higher.
The participation of women in Saudi elections is a step forward for women's rights, but is still not enough, rights activists say.
Analysts have pointed out that in the context of Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system a number of issues need to be addressed in order for this move to have a meaningful impact on women's lives.
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