What does a pseudo-democracy look like? We have a classic example right in the "middle" of the Middle east. Yes, sir, our 'friend', Saudi Arabia, held elections yesterday. But, wait, you say. Isn't the country an absolute monarchy run by a king and his 'royal' family with a bit of help from Shariah law? Yes, you are right on both points. But, to bring in the elements of pseudo-democracy, the royal family allowed elections to be held and registered voters could "vote". What were they voting for?
Good question. They were voting for candidates who were seeking positions on local municipal councils that manage civic functions, ie. road maintenance, street lighting, garbage collection, auto registration, and public record keeping operations. Do these positions affect anything else? No. In a word.
But things were different: women could run for the positions and women could vote- a first! Now this must be considered in light of strict Shariah Law: women had to be accompanied to the polling place and had to be completely covered in the hijab. So, yes they were 'free' to vote, but had to follow strict local rules and comply with dictates of Shariah. How many voted? Initial figures are sketchy, but it appears from news media that few made the effort. Really?
So, here we have a monarchy, one of the world's top oil producers, trying to fool the world into believing that they consider voters' opinions. This is among other things, a farce. Or in the words of Ben Hubbard of the NYT, a pseudo-democracy. Now the monarchy is feeling a bit of economic strain of late: the price of oil is sliding downward, steadily. When it hits $20/barrel, Saudi Arabia, Russya, U.A.E. will all be bankrupt. The only people benefiting will be the Swiss, as always.
Don't forget to vote.
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