Women in Saudi Arabia will FINALLY be able to drive

Last updated: September 27, 2017 at 17:29 pm

Women in Saudi Arabia will soon have the right to drive, according to a royal decree issued by the country's king.

The kingdom has long been the only state in the world where women are prohibited from driving, and the ban has been the subject of extensive protests in and outside the country.

In the royal decree issued on Tuesday, King Salman stated women would have the right to obtain driving licences.

A ministerial body will be formed to advise on the change within the next 30 days, and will go on to implement the new rules by June 2018, according to the decree.

The news was met with joy in Saudi Arabia, with men and women dancing in the streets in celebration.

The Saudi ambassador to the US said the guardianship system, under which women must have a male guardian who can make critical decisions on her behalf, should also be brought to an end.

"It's not just a social change, it's part of economic reform," ambassador Prince Khaled bin Salman said of the driving law.

He said women will not need permission from a legal guardian to drive, and that licences issued from elsewhere in the Gulf Cooperation Council would apply in Saudi Arabia.

In the decree, King Salman spoke of the "negative consequences of not allowing women to drive" and "the positive aspects of allowing it".

He added that the "majority" of senior scholars viewed allowing women to drive as legitimate.

Saudi women have been fighting for the right to drive for decades in a campaign that saw activists defying the law to take the wheel, posting videos on the internet and sometimes being arrested and jailed for doing so.

Aziza Youssef, a prominent Saudi women's rights activist, said the decision was a "great first step" and that she was "really excited" about the announcement, but added she would continue to push for an end to male guardianship.