77 members make debut in new-look Saudi Shura Council

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s new-look Shura (Consultative) Council will start on September 6 and will last four years.

More than half of the 150 members will mark their debut in the Council after 77 new faces joined and 71 members were re-appointed.

The Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Assistant Speaker will remain unchanged in the new composition.
Women will continue to hold 30 seats as has been the case since 2013 when then King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud made history by issuing a decree that amended Article three of the Council’s bylaws to stipulated that women’s representation would not be less than 20 per cent of the total number of the Shura members.

Up to then, the Shura, since it was founded in 1993, had only male members. The first council (1993–1997) had a Speaker and 60 members and the second (1997–2001) had a Speaker and 90 members. The third council (2001–2005) had a Speaker and 120 members and the fourth (2005–2009) had a speaker plus 150 members.

In 2013, King Abdullah stressed the significance of the breakthrough for women’s rights.
“We made this decision because we refuse to marginalise women in the Saudi society in their roles that comply with the Islamic Sharia and following consultations with many of our scholars who supported it,” King Abdullah said. “Muslim women in our history have had stances that cannot be sidelined, be it through views or advice, since the time of Prophet Mohammed.”

Saudi Shura Council session in progress

According to the then-Saudi monarch, “balanced modernisation compatible with Islamic vales was a significant necessity.”

“It is our right to receive your opinion and advice according to the fundamentals of our religion. Whoever trespasses them is arrogant and must take responsibility for those actions,” he said.

The criteria for male and female members include Saudi citizenship, a minimum of 30 years of age, an impeccable personal record, a high level of competency and practical experience.

On Monday, the 16 newly-appointed women hold a Ph.D. degree.