Women have been elected to municipal councils in Saudi Arabia for the first time after a ban on women taking part in elections was lifted. The vote is being seen as a landmark in the conservative kingdom. However, the councils have limited powers. Women won in many regions in the country, including Jeddah and Qatif. Saudi women still face many curbs in public life, including driving. A total of 978 women registered as candidates, alongside 5,938 men.

The disparity was attributed by female voters to bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of transport. Female candidates were also not allowed to address male voters directly during campaigning.

Salma bint Hizab al-Oteibi was named as Saudi Arabia’s first elected female politician, after winning a seat on the council in Madrakah in Mecca province. She was running against seven men and two women.

Elections of any kind are rare in the Saudi kingdom. The recent one was only the third time in history that Saudis had gone to the polls. There were no elections in the 40 years between 1965 and 2005. The decision to allow women to take part was taken by the late King Abdullah and is seen as a key part of his legacy. Before he died in January, he appointed 30 women to the country’s top advisory Shura Council.