JEDDAH, 19 October 2003 — In the course of its reform program, Saudi Arabia is likely to hold its first-ever legislative elections in three years, a pan-Arab newspaper reported yesterday quoting high-level sources.
“The Saudi government intends to hold partial elections to the (consultative) Shoura Council and the Regional Councils within the next three years,” Al-Hayat daily said citing assurances made by top officials.
The paper said elections would be held to fill one-third of the 120 seats in the Shoura, which at present is an all-appointed body offering advice to the government. No details were given on the legislative powers to be granted to the council.
The daily also said half the members of the 13 regional councils, whose members have also been appointed, would be elected within two years.
The news came after a historic decision last week by the Cabinet to hold the country’s first ever polls in 2004 to elect half the members of its 14 municipal councils.
“The Cabinet decided in its session on Monday to broaden public participation in local affairs through elections. This will be done by empowering municipal councils...electing half the members of each council,” the Saudi Press Agency said.
It said the decision was in keeping with the policy advocated by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, to press ahead on the path of political and administrative reform.
The municipal polls will be the first national elections in the Kingdom. Currently, ballots are only held to choose some members of the governing boards of chambers of commerce and industry.
Since its formation in 1993, the Shoura has dealt with important economic and social issues. The all-male council does not legislate under its current role, but its role has been boosted in the past few years, passing a number of important bills in the economic, educational and other areas.
The Shoura debates bills normally proposed by the government departments, sometimes introducing minor amendments and voting them into laws. These laws then go to the government, which must approve them before they come into force. The council’s membership was increased from 60 to 90 in the second term in 1997 and to 120 in 2001.
Speakership of the council has been held by prominent Islamic scholars and legal experts. Muhammad Bin-Jubair, a leading scholar, was the first to be named speaker in 1993 and held the post until his death in January 2002.
He was replaced in February by another scholar, the imam of Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saleh Bin-Humaid.
The council has received full support from the Saudi leadership, and its functions have become “one of the sources of development in the country,” Bin-Humaid told the official SPA news agency in May last year.
The council, two-thirds of whose members hold doctorates in various fields, has contributed to reforming the Kingdom’s justice system by passing three laws, chiefly outlining the rights of defendants and detainees.
