Saudi men head to the polls in a limited election

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia began its tentative experiment in democracy yesterday as thousands of men filed into schools, government offices, and streetside tents to cast what for many were the first votes of their lives.

At stake were half the seats on 38 municipal councils throughout greater Riyadh, politically powerless positions responsible for the nuts and bolts of city government. But the mix of exuberance and solemnity that marked the atmosphere inside many polling places suggested that the unusual act of voting was more important than the specific results.

Makeshift voting booths filled throughout the day with men, who bent over small metal desks to scrutinize lengthy ballots before dropping them in plastic bins. The parade was interrupted only by periodic calls to prayer in the birthplace of Islam, prompting voters and election officials alike to bow down in the corners of polling places before returning to vote.

"We call this a democratic wedding," said Salih Enezi, 49, a language professor at King Saud University who supervised voting at the Al-Arqam School for Boys in north Riyadh. "Everyone is hoping we'll have more and more, and in fields that are more involved in people's lives. But now everybody is happy."

The voting, which excluded women and military men, marked the first time in four decades that the kingdom has cast ballots for political office. The elections have been characterized by Saudi officials and the Bush administration, now encouraging democratic reform throughout the Middle East, as a first step in opening up this oil-rich kingdom's autocratic government to more public participation.

Arab satellite channels made the Saudi elections their lead story as balloting began, and continued mostly positive coverage of the event throughout the day. State-owned television channels featured extensive commentary and footage from inside the polling stations.

Saudis last voted in 1963 for offices in the country's western region, although some important Saudi institutions such as chambers of commerce regularly elect their leaders. In the next two months, voting is scheduled to be held in the eastern and western regions of the country, where voter registration has surpassed the relatively low number of eligible Saudis who signed up here. About a quarter of the Riyadh region's roughly 550,000 eligible voters registered.

But there was no shortage of candidates interested in the race, and 1,800 businessmen, academics, Islamic scholars, and others campaigned for 127 council seats. In Riyadh, a city of some 5 million people, 640 people competed for seven seats.

The sheer number presented many voters yesterday with a daunting challenge as they flipped through ballots running seven pages.

"How am I supposed to know who these guys are?" said Saleh Abdulaziz, 30, as he prepared to vote in a large tent in the central Malaz district.

An engineer with the Saudi Telecommunication Co., Abdulaziz stood before a list posted on one wall bearing the names of 70 candidates, all running from his district. But he also had to sort through hundreds of other candidates running for seats in adjacent districts, most of whom he'd never heard of.

"Some I recognize because I got messages from them on my mobile phone," Abdulaziz said. "And others I've heard of through my colleagues. But I don't really have any idea because I didn't have time before this to get to know them."

A few feet away, Ali Mohammed Khawaji also looked over the list, puzzled but with a plan. A computer engineer with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the agency overseeing the elections, Khawaji said he planned to pick out a few potential candidates and then call his wife, Alila, for her endorsement.

"I always do things with her opinion -- always," said Khawaji, 33.

The flow of voters started slowly yesterday, the first day of the Saudi weekend. At several polling places, officials said they expected people who woke up later to pick up the pace by the end of the day, a prediction that appeared to be accurate.

Enezi, the polling place supervisor at Al-Arqam, said several voters asked him who to cast ballots for.

"I was astonished," Elenizi said laughing. "I said you should choose who you want or don't choose anyone at all."

But many other voters appeared to have a firm grasp of who they wanted to win and why.

"I know all the people I voted for, and they are all practicing Muslims committed to serving the community," said Hamad Saleh, 32, who teaches Islamic studies at a Riyadh middle school.

Saleh, the father of a 2-year-old girl, also had more mundane concerns.

"There is no place for children in this city, and I expect to see more parks," he said.