Cleric-backed candidates win Saudi elections

updated 2:09 p.m. ET Feb. 11, 2005

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Candidates backed by Islamic clerics won races in the Saudi Arabian capital in the kingdom’s first regular balloting, an election observer said Friday.

The observer, Suleiman al-Oqaili, spoke at a news conference at which the preliminary results were announced. He claimed that he saw the names of the seven winners in the election for the Riyadh City Council on a list circulated via cell phones and the Internet, “promoted as a list that had a religious blessing.”

At least five of the winning candidates were believed to be Islamists. It was not known whether the seven winners sought the clerical endorsement indicated on the list or whether they received the support unsolicited.

A losing candidate, Thafer al-Yami, told The Associated Press that he saw the circulated list, which he said indicated an alliance among “certain people who follow the same line.”

“These people have hijacked the elections,” he said, calling for the election commission to investigate the list. “The list contravened the election law. We want transparency.”

Turnout reported at 65 percent
The chief of the election commission, Prince Mansour bin Miteb, told al-Oqaili that objectors had five days to file complaints with the Grievance and Complaints Committee, which is obliged to respond within five days after that.

Prince Mansour said 56,354 of the 86,462 registered voters in Riyadh had voted, making for a turnout of 65 percent.

The Islamic domination of the new city council was a surprise in view of the flashy campaign run by wealthy businessmen and real estate developers. The Islamist campaign proved to be quiet but effective.

The government may choose to balance the Islamist representation by selecting liberal candidates for the seven city council seats that are state-appointed.

Riyadh lies in the most conservative region of the kingdom, but it is also the political heart of the country.

In the districts around Riyadh, victory went to candidates mostly from tribes and big families. Prince Mansour confirmed reports that the turnout for the outlying districts was 82 percent.

Only men were allowed to vote, and balloting was confined to the capital, Riyadh, and adjacent districts. Other parts of the country will vote in March and April.

Many see the elections as a modest step toward democracy — voters will elect only half of the local councils, while the other half will be appointed. But others see the polls as a remarkable development in a country ruled by an absolute monarchy, where any talk of participation in decision-making used to be taboo.

MORE FROM WORLD NEWS

World news Section Front

Obama prods China to take role on climate Power struggle threatens Pakistan’s leader U.N.: Iran nuclear facility to start in 2011 Kenyans recruited to fight in Somalia   Obama’s bow in Japan sparks some criticism Report: Extremists recruiting in British jails Judge tosses Rwandan genocide conviction U.K. soldier: Troops hit, kicked Iraqis Lover's diary: Mussolini wanted to destroy Jews Giant jellyfish head north in warming world World news Section Front   Add World news headlines to your news reader: