Reforming Saudi Arabia
By Cathy Nugent In February Saudi Arabia held the first round of municipal council elections — the country’s first direct elections since 1964. As democratic elections go they are very poor: only half the council seats are to be elected, the rest are appointed; the decision-making power of these councils is limited; no party affiliations are allowed (because all political parties are banned in the country); women were not allowed to vote, despite election rules which say that all Saudi citizens over the age of 21 are eligible to vote. A US spokesperson’s comment on the election was, “Saudi...