Saudi Arabia has started its first election where female voters and candidates are allowed to partake.

Being a conservative nation, it is the last country to allow women to cast the ballot.

Following the easing of the restrictions, 950 women and 6,000 men contested for seats on the municipal council, the only chamber open for public election in the kingdom.

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During the campaign, stringent rules of partitioning both sexes were enforced. This means that female candidates are not allowed to directly present themselves before a men congregation.

In addition, women revealed some of their biggest challenges that include bureaucratic obstacles amid registration, lack of awareness of the process and its importance, and the prohibition to drive and register themselves. Thus, a ratio of less than one female in every 10 male voters would make female candidates less likely to grab a position.

Nevertheless, they remained positive that they will be appointed to a position instead since one-third of the seats in the council are appointed by the minister.

But winning is not the sole purpose of some female candidates. One of the aspiring applicants Amal Badreldin al-Sawari, a pediatrician in central Riyadh, openly revealed that "I'm not running to win... I think I have done the winning by running."

Another candidate, who is also a manager consultant, Aljazi al-Hossaini started her 12-day campaign over the Internet by putting her credentials online where both men and women could see. "I did my best, and I did everything by myself... I'm proud of myself that I can do it."

There are around 130,000 women registered to vote in the country - still a small proportion against the registered male voters that are around 1.3 million.

Ballot opened at 8:00 AM and will close at 5:00 PM on Saturday. Counting of ballots will be done the following day. 

From 1965 to 2005, no elections were held in the country. This is only the third time in its entire history that the kingdom has gone to the polls.

Permitting women to cast their ballots is a key move by the late King Abdullah who was quoted saying in his reform that women "have demonstrated positions that expressed correct opinions and advice."

Tagselection, Human Rights Watch, sexist, Saudi Arabia election, late King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia Women Vote