Cleric-backed candidates win Saudi elections

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 percentThe 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.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

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.