First elections

last updated 8 January 2015

Riyadh

Saudi Arabia took a small step toward democracy last week, holding its first elections since the kingdom was established, in 1932. It was hardly a democratic revolution. The voting was for city councils, not the national government, and only half the council seats were being contested. Women were not allowed to vote or to run for office, and political parties were banned. Still, democracy advocates in the country were pleased with the turnout—over 80 percent in many places. “The most important thing is that this is a great experiment,” said activist Ahmed Owais. “We should defend it and it should continue.”