Saudi Arabia is to hold its first legislative elections in three years as the conservative kingdom embarks on political reform including regional and municipal ballots in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Saudi reformers said they had been informed by Defence Minister Sultan bin Abdul Aziz that the partial legislative elections were to take place.
"Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz told me the Saudi leadership intends to organise partial elections for the regional councils and the Majlis ash-Shura, in two years and three years, respectively," political activist Mohammad Said Taieb said on Saturday.
He was among 305 "liberals" who signed a petition to Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz in September demanding radical political reform to eradicate terrorism and save the kingdom.
Another reformer and a leading moderate Islamist, Mohsen al-Awaji, confirmed that he too had been informed of the elections.
The Saudi-owned daily Al-Hayat quoted Saudi sources as saying elections would be held to fill one-third of the 120 seats in the Majlis ash-Shura, or Consultative Council, which until now has been 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, published in London and run by the defence minister's son Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, also said half the members of the 13 regional councils, whose members have also all been appointed, would be elected in the kingdom within two years.
The news came after the official Saudi Press Agency, quoting the cabinet, announced October 13 that the first ever polls in the conservative kingdom would take place in 2004 to elect half the members of new municipal councils.
"The Saudi cabinet decided at its session today to broaden citizens' participation in running local affairs through elections. This will be done by activating municipal councils ... electing half the members of each council," it said.
"The cabinet said the sides concerned should complete measures (to conduct the polls) within a maximum of one year."
It said the decision to hold nationwide municipal polls was in keeping with the policy advocated by King Fahd and the crown prince, the de facto ruler due to the sovereign's ill-health, to "press ahead on the path of political and administrative reform."
The municipal polls will be the first national elections in the oil-rich kingdom. Currently, ballots are only held to choose some members of the governing boards of chambers of commerce and industry.
Charged with fostering and financing terrorists, Saudi Arabia has been under US pressure to open up its ultra-conservative Wahhabi regime based on Sharia law, and has faced growing demands from liberals at home to pursue democratic reforms.
In May, the king pledged to push through reforms and expand popular participation and open more jobs to women, who are still not allowed to drive cars.
That move came after 100 intellectuals submitted in January a petition to the crown prince calling for widescale political and social reform.
Abdullah said the reforms were only a matter of time.
The US-led war on Iraq ended in April with a deal for Washington to pull US troops and aircraft out of the kingdom, one of the key demands of hardline opponents who rally to Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden.
But al-Qaeda was blamed for May 12 triple suicide bombings of residential compounds in Riyadh that left 35 people dead and galvanized the authorities into a major crackdown on militants.
Since then, repeated shootouts have taken place in which several security men as well as gunmen were killed or wounded. More than 170 presumed Islamist militants have been detained since the Riyadh bombings.
Despite tentative openings, such as a first human rights conference held in Riyadh on Oct 14, opposition to the government remains a risky stance in the kingdom and information is kept under strict control.
A rare protest near the conference was put down by security forces who arrested 154 people.
The demonstration followed a call from the London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA) to rally against the detention of government opponents.
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