Saudi women allowed to vote in 2015 elections

Saudi Arabian King Abdullah has decreed that for the first time ever, women will be granted the right to vote and run in local elections. The changes will not go into effect until the national elections of 2015, even though the next local elections are coming up later in the week. The delay has some women frustrated, who see it as an attempt to reform the country without drastically changing things right away. “I think the king doesn’t want to shake the country, but we look around us and we think it is a shame…when we are still pondering how to meet simple women’s rights,” said Saudi feminist Wajeha al-Hawaidar.

In spite of the delay, the move signifies a giant leap forward for the nation’s women, though there are still strides to be made; women remain unable to drive or travel abroad without permission.