JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia is considering allowing women to vote in municipal elections this year but they would still be barred from running for office, a senior government official was quoted as saying yesterday.

Prince Mansour bin Miteb, deputy minister for municipal and rural affairs, made the comments after attending a conference of municipal councils in the Eastern Province. “The meeting’s recommendations included that women should be eligible to vote. A special committee will study this proposal,” one paper quoted the prince as saying.

Only men eligible to vote participated in municipal elections in 2005, which were the first nationwide polls held in the Kingdom. The election for half of the seats on the councils was part of a series of reforms undertaken by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

The meeting in the Eastern Province, the first indication that the municipal vote will take place this year, recommended that the government continues to name half of the council members, Al-Watan daily said.

Prince Mansour also disclosed plans to establish women’s sections at municipalities in the Kingdom’s 13 provinces.

“Difference of opinion is good for public interest. I consider it a positive development as it will help reach better decisions that serve the nation,” the minister said when asked about conflicts in the municipal councils of Dammam and Qatif.

He said a committee at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs is currently preparing a bylaw for municipal councils, with the support of consulting houses. “We have distributed questionnaires among all council members to get their views while drafting the bylaw.”

Prince Mansour said the performance of the municipal councils in their first four-year term was good.

Asked about the resignation of some members, he said: “The number of council members who resigned was very few.” He also urged all council members to work as a team.

The municipal councils’ meeting in Ras Tanura called for enhancing the powers of council members, and increasing budget allocations for research. It also stressed the need to hold council meetings twice a month and exchange of visits by members to exchange expertise.

Prince Mansour commended the mayoralty of the Eastern Province for establishing the King Abdulaziz Urban Center.

“We hope similar centers would be established in all provinces of the Kingdom,” he said.