Nonvoting women a force in elections

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JIDDA, Saudi Arabia -- Women are turning out to be an invisible force in Saudi Arabia's first election in more than 40 years, a two-month process that begins Thursday with local balloting in the capital, Riyadh.

Women will not be permitted to participate in the elections, which come after international pressure to democratize in a conservative kingdom, where political parties are banned and the press is restricted by the government.

But the daily newspaper Al-Iqtisadiah last week cited a survey that found 20 percent of the men who registered to vote in the Eastern Province had been persuaded to do so by their wives.

Bandar Al-Saleh, who is running for a seat in the Riyadh Municipal Council, told The Washington Times that women's concerns are foremost among his campaign pledges, which range from improving home pickup of trash to establishing safe and clean public exercise areas.

Mr. Al-Saleh, who receives visitors from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily in a 10,000-square-foot tented and carpeted area near a major highway, said he has formed a team of 25 women who go door-to-door to speak to women in his district and ask about their concerns.

Cardamom-flavored Arabic coffee and dates are served to visitors during the day, while evening visitors get a lamb-and-rice extravaganza.

"I'm not a rich businessman," Mr. Al-Saleh said. "I'm a real estate manager who is trying to improve the lives of my constituents."

The three-stage elections -- which start in the capital Thursday, followed by balloting in the Eastern Province in March and ending in the Western region on April 21 -- are seen as a response to both internal and external pressures.

The September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington by mostly Saudi terrorists proved a turning point for the Al-Saud ruling royal family, who realized the need to devolve some of its power to the people after ruling the country as an absolute monarchy for more than 70 years.

President Bush has been publicly and privately pressing the kingdom to adopt political reforms for the past two years, with his latest prod coming during his State of the Union address Wednesday night.