Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has announced that women will have the right to vote and stand as candidates in local council elections - the only public polls in the Kingdom.<br /><br />For the first time, women will also be appointed to the National Shura council, which advises the King.<br /><br />Hatoon Al Fassi,a Professor of Women's History at King Saud University in Riyadh, speaks to Al Jazeera about the changes.
