Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has made preparations for women to participate in the third municipal elections next year, said a report.

“Women have the right to contest the elections just like men without facing any discrimination,” Prince Mansour bin Miteb, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, was quoted as saying in the Arab News report.

Saudi woman have also been permitted to campaign like men, he said.

Women monitors drawn from community organisations would supervise the process for women candidates, agents and voters, said the report.

He said each woman candidate should appoint female and male agents to enter election booths.

The minister said the arrangements and regulations have been formulated in compliance with Islamic law and international standards on gender equality. Women must have their national identity cards to participate and vote.

There would be offices staffed by women officials to ensure the implementation of election regulations, forward complaints to local election committees, deal with election challenges, issue permits for campaigning, and register male and female agents for women candidates, it said.

The candidates and election agents would only need a card with the seal of the election committee and there would be complete separation between the women and men election processes.