Show Saudis Democracy r r c o oen en 1 r wy i JO O F air r Khalid Agami 57 is running for a seat on ELECT SAUDI town about agricultural council of Hail an the municipal th the first time in 41 years the miles Saudi norh northwest royal west family of f Riyadh Riyadh is allowing In Ino For o elections Scott Wilson The Washington Post Khalid Agami a jocular beard Saudi man with a wispy and wire-rimmed wire spectacles has variously been professor I prisoner father and grandfather ther during his 57 years Now he has become something entirely new a candidate Agami is running for office in November as part of a cautious cautious cautious cau cau- experiment by the Saudi royal family For the first time in 41 years it is allowing elections local ones that will fill half the seats on municipal councils The ruling family's goal political analysts and diplomats diplomats diplomats diplo diplo- mats here say is to determine determine determine deter deter- mine whether a more open government might help defuse a rising armed threat by Muslim militants in the kingdom or merely inspire reform advocates to push harder against the princes' princes long hold on power A pious Muslim from the thelow thelow thelow low mountains of northern I Saudi Arabia Agami has set his sights on one of a dozen seats on the municipal council council council coun coun- cil of Hail an agricultural town about miles northwest northwest northwest north north- west of the capital Riyadh He said he was imprisoned in inthe inthe inthe the for callin calling on the government to adopt human rights standards a demand he intends to make part of his campaign He will also push for an corruption anti-corruption program program program pro pro- gram and more money from the central government for local water and public health projects His The Honest slogan The slogan and the Strong Man Man is is taken from the Koran There will be limits placed on what I will be allowed to say but I think they will be reasonable said Agami a professor of Arabic studies at Riyadh's Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University I am asking people people people peo peo- to be positive about me and I think so far I have made madea a good impression In a country that takes even its name from the ruling family family family fam fam- ily few institutions are more foreign than electoral politics But now nascent campaigns for the municipal seats are injecting a small but spicy dose of democracy into a hermetic hermetic hermetic her her- political life in which power has long been rooted in tribal alliances and proximity to royalty By opening only half the council seats for election the election the theother other half will remain appointed by the royal family- family the government will be able to judge which candidates See Democracy continued on page 9 Democracy continued from page 4 fared well and with what mes mes- sage That analysis political commentators and Western diplomats here say will determine determine determine deter deter- mine whether elections will willbe willbe willbe be held for the rest of the council seats and then expanded to include regional governments and eventually a national parliament to replace one that is now also filled by royal family appointment Women who have yet to gain the right to drive business business business busi busi- ness leaders and Muslim dissidents dissidents dissidents dis dis- dis- dis are discussing issues ranging from the need for political reform to the shortage shortage shortage short short- age of youth centers in a country where more than half of the 25 million people are younger than 18 Many of the candidates are putting up big money to win and several public relations firms are signing up clients and viewing democracy as a growth indus indus- try We are moving to a new rela relationship between eI citizens t zens and government 1 said Abdulaziz a professor sor of modern modem Arabic literature literature literature litera litera- ture at King Saud University in Riyadh and a member of country's democratic reform movement This is our first lesson in elections The U.N.-supervised U.N. balloting balloting balloting ballot ballot- ing scheduled to unfold in three phases ending early next year would be the first on a national scale in Saudi Arabia's year 72 history Thelast Thelast The Thelast last elections in 1963 took place only in the western region of Hijaz home to Islam's two holiest cities Mecca and Medina Although elections have been technically authorized since 1977 the upcoming vote was called only this year yearby yearby yearby by a government that is under pressure from the Bush administration and international international international human rights organizations organizations organizations to democratize its political political political cal system Many official campaign regulations have yet yetto yetto yetto to be established leaving open practical questions about what the exact powers of the municipal councils will be who will have the right to vote and compete in the elections and how candidates will be allowed to advertise A bylaw issued this year allows all Saudis 21 and older to cast ballots except those serving in the security forces Women were not specifically excluded and many of them are proceeding as if they wont won't be For several weeks Hatoon Fassi has led an female all-female group whose goals are by the standards of the kingdom promoting the right of women to participate in every aspect of the elections These bylaws were a agreen agreen agreen green light for women to run and vote said Fassi a professor sor of ancient history at King Saud University who has a doctorate from Lancaster University in England This is something brought forward by the government All were we're doing is accepting their generous gener gener- ous offer II Fassi has been organizing evening mee meetings ings of Saudi aldi w won women to plot l t election strate at gy The conversations among business owners public health experts and fellow havethe havethe have havethe the freewheeling quality of campaign strategy sessions the world over Fassi makes notes in a small jotting down ideas on how to develop campaign Web sites and the names of potential female candidates Some of the scribbles will become points in newspaper columns she is writing to counter criticism from conservative conservative conservative conser conser- commentators who are arenow arenow arenow now beginning to weigh in on voting rights for women Do Do you think something like that would come up that Im I'm a woman that I dont don't cover my face that I was born in the UK Nadia an interior architect who owns her own firm asked during one recent meeting Fassi is recruiting an old friend to run for a council seat So far who wears the black abaya cloak but does not veil her face is amenable to the idea although she expressed concern concern concern con con- cern about the tone of a possible possible possible ble campaign against her She described her platform as very very human and said she would talk about environmental tal protection the need youth centers and health services services services ser ser- ser ser- vices and new regulations to better monitor the sometimes slipshod construction industrY indus indus- try These are very general impact issues not necessarily women's issues said 37 the mother of two The main problem is breaking down the mental handicap to doing this So were we're going to go as far as we can until an obstacle arises In June the royal family issued a series of decrees on women's rights following what it called a national dialogue dialogue dialogue dia dia- dia- dia logue on the subject One made an exception to rules that reserve salesclerk jobs for formen formen formen men allowing women to sell lingerie Another allowed women to register businesses in their own names without the signature of a male spon spon- sor Th most salient J Fassi Fassin a si n rr a ah to e that enco encouraged wom women nAo to i take k a greater role in the kingdoms kingdom's public affairs But the women are treading carefully mindful of a disastrous disastrous disastrous trous demonstration in 1991 in which Saudi women drove cars down a Riyadh boulevard boule boule- vard The protest embarrassed the government which had hadnot hadnot hadnot not yet officially outlawed driving driving driving dri dri- ving by women This time the activism is proceeding quiet quiet- l ly I Im not dreaming this said Hanan Ahmadi an associate associate associate asso asso- professor of health administration at the Institute of Public Administration in Riyadh who is working alongside alongside alongside along along- side Fassi If women arent aren't allowed to vote and run for office it it will be like we have taken one step forward and two steps back An Interior Ministry official official official cial who spoke on condition of anonymity because the elections are not directly his ills responsibility suggested that women would not be allowed to vote Comparing the issue to the right to drive the official official official cial said Saudi society is not ready to allow women the right to vote The role of women is being changed but not enough probably the official said We are basing election rules on what is allowable in real life And right now much of real life is left up to to the responsibility of men I cant can't say that women would be allowed to participate in this others area when they cant can't in m many many ny J |