"RIYADH, 11 February 2005 � February 10 will go down in the books as the day Saudi citizens exercised their voting rights. In the first-ever elections held in the country, citizens over 21 headed to polling centers early in the day to choose their representatives for the Riyadh Municipal Council.."    [more]

Reprinted with permission from washingtonpost.com and The Washington Post.

Saudi Men Cast Ballots in First Election Since '63

By Scott Wilson
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, February 11, 2005; Page A18

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 10 -- Saudi Arabia began its tentative experiment in democracy Thursday as thousands of men filed into schools, government offices and streetside tents to cast what for many were the first votes of their lives.

At stake were half the seats on 38 municipal councils throughout greater Riyadh, politically powerless positions responsible for the nuts and bolts of city government. But the mix of exuberance and solemnity inside many polling places suggested that the unusual act of voting was more important than the results.

Makeshift voting booths were filled throughout the day with Saudi men, who bent over small metal desks to scrutinize lengthy ballots before dropping them in plastic bins. The parade was interrupted only by periodic calls to prayer in the birthplace of Islam, prompting voters and election officials alike to bow down in the corners of polling places before returning to vote.

At stake were half the seats on 38 municipal councils throughout greater Riyadh, politically powerless positions responsible for the nuts and bolts of city government. But the mix of exuberance and solemnity inside many polling places suggested that the unusual act of voting was more important than the results.

Makeshift voting booths were filled throughout the day with Saudi men, who bent over small metal desks to scrutinize lengthy ballots before dropping them in plastic bins. The parade was interrupted only by periodic calls to prayer in the birthplace of Islam, prompting voters and election officials alike to bow down in the corners of polling places before returning to vote.

"We call this a democratic wedding," said Salih Enezi, 49, a language professor at King Saud University who supervised voting at the al-Arqam School for boys in north Riyadh. "Everyone is hoping we'll have more and more, and in fields that are more involved in people's lives. But now everybody is happy."

The voting, which excluded women and members of the military, marked the first time in four decades that residents of the kingdom cast ballots for political office. The elections have been described by Saudi officials and the Bush administration, which is encouraging democratic reform throughout the Middle East, as a first step in opening up the autocratic government of this oil-rich kingdom to more public participation.

Late Thursday, Saudi officials said a preliminary assessment indicated that 82 percent of registered voters in the municipalities outside Riyadh cast ballots, a figure that did not include the capital itself. Election officials planned to announce more results at a news conference Friday afternoon.

"It has been smooth," an adviser to the elections commission said. "There are no major issues here."

Saudis last voted in 1963 for regional offices in the western part of the country, although such institutions as chambers of commerce regularly elect their leaders. In the next two months, voting is scheduled in the east and west, where voter registration has surpassed the relatively low level here. About a quarter of the Riyadh area's roughly 550,000 eligible voters registered over a month-long period.

But there was no shortage of candidates, and 1,800 businessmen, teachers, Islamic scholars and others campaigned for 127 council seats across the capital region. They used the Internet, newspaper advertisements and evening seminars held in tents across the city, events usually followed by heaping platters of lamb or camel and rice. The sheer number presented many voters with a daunting challenge as they flipped through ballots as long as seven pages.

"How can you decide? Tell me," said Saleh Abdulaziz, 30, as he prepared to vote in a large tent in the central Malaz district. "How am I supposed to know who these guys are?"

Abdulaziz, an engineer with the Saudi Telecommunication Co., stood before a list posted on a wall bearing the names of 70 candidates, all running in his district. But he also had to sort through the names of hundreds of other candidates running for seats in adjacent districts, most of whom he had never heard of.

"Some I recognize because I got messages from them on my mobile phone," Abdulaziz said. "And others I've heard of through my colleagues. But I don't really have any idea, because I didn't have time before this to get to know them."

A few feet away, Ali Mohammed Khawaji also looked over the list, puzzled but with a plan. Khawaji, a computer engineer with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the agency overseeing the elections, said he planned to pick out a few potential candidates and then call his wife, Alila, for her endorsement.

"I always do things with her opinion -- always," said Khawaji, 33.

Enezi, the polling place supervisor, said several people asked him whom to vote for in districts where they did not know the candidates. "I was astonished," Enezi said, laughing. "I said you should choose who you want or don't choose anyone at all."

But many other voters appeared to have a firm grasp of whom they wanted to win and why. Many said the rules set out by Islam, which provides the basis of the kingdom's constitution, guided their decisions and should dictate the royal family's next steps in opening the government to more democratic participation.

"I know all the people I voted for, and they are all practicing Muslims committed to serving the community," said Hamad Saleh, 32, who teaches Islamic studies at a middle school. "This process should always be guided by Islamic principles, and only in that way should it be developed further."

Saleh, the father of a 2-year-old girl, also had more mundane concerns that he wanted his councilman to address.

"There is no place for children in this city, and I expect to see more parks," he said.

Saudi reformers said they hoped the municipal elections would lead to voting for offices with more national political influence, particularly the Shura Council, a 120-seat consultative assembly appointed by the royal family. Although several voters said they expected to be able to cast ballots for the council in the future, they wanted to make sure the novice politicians elected Thursday did not seek to move the kingdom away from its Islamic foundations.

"When you say 'democracy' here, people think of Western democracy, where everything is permitted," said Abdul Malik Sulaiman, 45, a geologist, after he cast his vote at the school.

For instance, Sulaiman said, any calls from the municipal councils to legalize alcohol would undermine the kingdom's already slow strides toward elected government.

Copyright 2005, Washingtonpost. Newsweek Interactive and The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

Reprinted with permission

"..We believe the municipal council, the consultative council, and the human rights association, all these institutions are moving toward democracy, where decisions are being institutionalized.."

Dr. Saleh Al-Malik, Election Commission Member

Additional Reporting

Voters Turn Up in Large Numbers to Cast Ballots
"An estimated 82 percent of registered voters cast their ballots yesterday as historic polling began on a moderate note at 73 polling stations across this sprawling capital city, election officials and voters said. A large number of voters were seen queuing up at the polling booths in different districts of the city in the historic elections that have considerable significance for this region in general and the world in particular.." [more]

Saudis first exercise in democracy
"..Posters of candidates have gone up, flyers have been distributed, and some mobile phone text messages have even been offering to help candidates buy votes. But the Western-style campaigning has also been accompanied by tradition. Everywhere, large Bedouin tents were put up, sometimes in the shadow of the capital's skyscrapers. Just outside, fires were burning with people huddling around and drinking strong black coffee.." [more]

Saudis Vote in Historic Election
"February 10 will go down in the books as the day Saudi citizens exercised their voting rights. In the first-ever elections held in the country, citizens over 21 headed to polling centers early in the day to choose their representatives for the Riyadh Municipal Council.." [more]

High Hopes Abound for Fledgling Reforms
"Voters turned out in droves yesterday as Saudi Arabia took the first step on the road to reforms by holding the first-ever municipal elections. �This is a stepping stone for democracy, and voters feel that they have their rights to send their representative to the council to represent people�s interests,� said Waleed Al-Swaidan, chairman of the Saudi Arabian National Recruitment Committee (SANARCOM).." [more]

Women Can�t Be Left Far Behind
"There was a mixed reaction among voters yesterday when Arab News asked them if they wanted to see women included in the next round of municipal elections as voters or candidates.." [more]�

Election Process Runs Smoothly
"Yesterday�s balloting was completed without major incident as 150,000 voters visited 140 polling stations. Foreign observers noted the election was orderly and peaceful.." [more]

They Failed to Connect With Us, Say Youth
"The Kingdom�s first-ever municipal elections in Riyadh were characterized by a somewhat lukewarm response on the part of Saudi youth. Except in the Al-Naseem district, where they turned up in large numbers, not many young Saudis were present in other constituencies.." [more]