Saudi Arabia delays elections for two years

Saudi Arabia has postponed local elections for two years in a bid to curb potential gains by organised Islamist blocs, as well as putting off debate about the highly sensitive issue of the participation of women, analysts say.

The cabinet said on Tuesday that it would extend the four-year terms of the current municipal councils for two years to allow time to ”expand the participation of citizens in the management of local affairs” and to draft new regulations. It did not provide details on what the new regulations would contain.

The ultraconservative kingdom held its first national election in 2005 when male voters selected half the seats of 178 municipal councils. The poll was seen as a tentative step towards democratic reform, as well as a response to western pressure as the nation found itself under intense scrutiny following the September 11 2001 attacks on the US.