Saudi women headed to the polls in a nationwide municipal election on Saturday, voting and running for office for the first time in their country’s history. Out of 6,900 candidates competing for 2,100 elected seats in Saudi Arabia’s local councils, 979 are women, but few are expected to win a seat. There are 3,159 seats in total, but a third of the representatives are appointed by the minister of municipal and rural affairs. The Persian Gulf kingdom is an absolute monarchy and local councils are the only popularly elected bodies that exist. Their powers are limited: They oversee urban development projects, but have no final say on how the money is spent. Saudi women take a selfie picture at a mall on in Jeddah on Thursday. But in a country where women are deprived of many basic rights, including the ability to drive or travel abroad without the permission […]