13 women win municipal seats in historic Saudi vote

Riyadh

AT LEAST 13 women won municipal council seats in Saudi Arabia's first ever election open to female voters and candidates, officials said on Sunday, far exceeding expectations in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

"Even if it was only one woman, we're really proud of that. Honestly, we weren't expecting anyone to win," said Sahar Hassan Nasief, a women's rights activist in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.