Gulf's liberal shift is more than sop to Arab Spring - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com

The king of Saudi Arabia has lived up to his reformist reputation by giving women the right to vote in future elections. A day earlier, neighbouring UAE held the country's second elections.

The changes mean both countries are still far from Western concepts of democracy and nearby revolutions, but the reforms have financial benefits too.

It is easy to pick holes. The right of Saudi women to vote and be part of municipal councils renders them as powerless as their male counterparts: elections only fill half the seats, which have limited powers to start with.

* username: rupertbu