BBC NEWS
Saudis vote in historic election
Saudi Arabia is holding its first nationwide municipal elections, as the government aims to introduce elements of democracy in the desert kingdom.

Voting is taking place in and around the capital, Riyadh, with later rounds to be held elsewhere over two months.

Overall, 1,800 candidates are vying for 592 seats in 178 councils. In Riyadh, 650 are fighting for just seven seats.

Women are excluded from the polls and only some 148,000 of 400,000 eligible men have registered to vote in Riyadh.


MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS 2005
Phase 1 - 10 Feb (Riyadh reg)
Phase 2 - 3 Mar (5 regions)
Phase 3 - 21 Apr (7 regions)
Total number of councils - 178
Total contested seats - 592
Councils in phase 1 - 38
Seats in phase 1 - 104
Candidates in phase 1 - 1,818

The polls can be seen as a small step in Saudi Arabia's measured response to calls for reform, correspondents say.

Elections of some sort were held in a few major cities until the mid-1960s but these polls mark a turning point in this absolute monarchy, says BBC's Kim Ghattas in Riyadh.

The polls were postponed several times since they were first announced, but now there is no turning back, she adds.

The powers of the municipal council are not clear and half the council will still be chosen, as before, by appointment.

Despite a late flurry of electioneering in Riyadh, the excitement of candidates has not been matched by that of their constituents, our correspondent says.

Candidates started campaigning only after voter registration ended and some Saudis say they now regret not having signed up to vote.

Staggered vote

Polls in Riyadh and its suburbs opened at 0800 local time (0500 GMT) and will close at 1700 (1400 GMT).

Delays have dogged the build-up to the polls, which were first due to have been held by October 2004.

Speculation that women may be allowed to run and vote in the elections was eventually quashed by the kingdom's rulers, but a promise was made that they would be able to play a bigger role in the next such polls in 2009.

After Riyadh region, the next two phases of the polls will see the south and east of the country voting in early March and the north and west casting their ballots in late April.

Nationwide, more than three million Saudis are said to be eligible out of a population of some 24m.

A US state department spokesman said the polls were "a sign that Saudi Arabia is not immune to the reforms sweeping the region".
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Published: 2005/02/10 05:20:40 GMT

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I'm sure we can trust the House of Saud not to fix any elections.