Saudi Men Go To The Ballot Box

Male voters converged at polling stations in the Riyadh region on Thursday to participate in city elections, the first time Saudis are taking part in a vote that largely conforms to international standards. Women were banned from running or voting.

"This was a wonderful moment," said Badr al-Faqih, a 54-year-old geography professor, moments after submitting the first ballot at one polling station.

Prince Mansour bin Miteb, head of the election commission, said there were no reports of irregularities and that voter turnout was "very reasonable" shortly before polls closed on Thursday.

The last voter at the Maathar polling station, Suhaim al-Suhaim, a 56 year-old businessman, said before leaving, "This is a good beginning and we hope there will be more (reform) steps."

Overall turnout was expected to be low — only 149,000 of 600,000 eligible voters were registered to vote. Turnout was light at some polling stations early Thursday morning, the beginning of the weekend for most Saudis, but the number of people increased as the day progressed.

"This is a first step toward more elections," said al-Faqih of the vote — a small political reform in this absolute monarchy that has come under increasing pressure from the West to adopt democratic standards.

But another voter, Suleiman al-Ondus, 70, said: "I feel a lot of pain because women cannot participate in the vote."

Unlike other recent elections in the region in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, the Saudi elections are limited to the selection of some city officials and not national leaders. As a result, some voters had limited expectations for the councilmen they were to choose.

But others were optimistic that the elections would lead to further reforms in this country tightly ruled by the Saudi royal family and often criticized by international human rights activists.

Abdul Rahman al-Hussein, 53, a school principal, said he went to the polling station early to be among the first voters. "This is patriotic participation. I want this campaign to succeed," he said.

Abdul Nasser al-Zahrani, 46, an archaeology professor, called the vote the beginning of a new era.

"We now know what elections are and what it means to make your voice heard through proper channels. It is the beginning of democracy," he said.

Asked about the fact that half of the councilmen on the councils will be appointed, he said, "This is a first step and it is good as a first step but it should be followed by more steps."

He said he was going to keep his card because "it is a symbol of the start of democracy."

More than 1,800 candidates were contesting 127 seats in the capital and surrounding villages on Thursday, with almost 700 of them running for seven seats in Riyadh. Two more phases will cover the rest of the country in March and April.

Election officials said partial results could be ready as soon as Thursday night, but final results may not be released until Friday or Saturday.

Al-Hussein, the principal, said he chose his candidate based on the promises he made during the campaign, especially a pledge to build playgrounds for children.

Ahmed al-Khalifa, a civil servant, said he hoped his chosen candidate would work to improve the infrastructure and lighting in his neighborhood in Riyadh.

Some voters were confused about the process and had to be helped by officials.

Ahmed al-Sayyegh, 46, a researcher, said it was difficult to choose from the list of hundreds of candidates, especially since the campaign was only 12 days long and people did not have enough time to get to know the candidates.

The Saudi government has launched a national dialogue to open public debate on democratization and other issues.

The monarchy has grappled with intense pressures in the past two years — it has been struggling to contain militant Islamists who have staged suicide bombings while meanwhile responding to pressure from the United States to adopt liberal reforms.

Officials said they kept women from voting or running because there would not have been time to set up women-only polling stations, and because many women don't carry a necessary ID card.

But conservatism toward women runs deep both in the government and the people.

Abdullah al-Muhadib, 43, an auditor, said he would not have allowed his wife to vote even if the government had permitted it.

"She is a queen at home but I am in charge of what takes place outside the house," he said.