20 Saudi women win local council seats for first time, initial results show

Up to 20 Saudi women have won seats on local municipal councils a day after women voted and ran in elections for the first time in the country’s history, according to initial results released to the Associated Press last night.

The women who won hail from vastly different parts of the country, ranging from Saudi Arabia’s largest city to a small village near Islam’s holiest sites.

Though not many women were expected to win seats, even limited gains are seen as a step forward for women who had previously been shut out of elections.