Local municipal elections have been held in Saudi Arabia for the first time in history. The first round of voting took place in the capital Riyadh and its suburbs. Polls in the rest of the country are scheduled to be held over the next two months.

Less than half the 400,000 men eligible to vote today had registered. Each district elected one half of its municipal council. The government will appoint the rest of the council members.

This is a marked move toward more democracy in a country where the royal family has a tight grip on power. An estimated three million men are eligible to vote nationwide. Women do not have the vote.

(rnw.nl)

Ah yes, this should be interesting. Apparently there are tentative plans for women to have a voting role in the next round of voting approx 2009.