Politics

The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in a framework of an absolute monarchy whereby the King of Saudi Arabia is not only head of state, but also the head of government. The central institution of Saudi Arabian Government is the monarchy. The Basic Law adopted in 1992 declared that Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by the sons and grandsons of King Abd Al Aziz Al Saud, and that the Qur'an is the constitution of the country, which is governed on the basis of Islamic law (Shari'a).

State Ideology

There are no recognised national political parties. The state's ideology is the Wahhabism. The leading members of the royal family choose the king from among themselves with the subsequent approval of the ulema (religious leaders).

Central Government

The central institution of Saudi Arabian Government is the Saudi monarchy. The Basic Law adopted in 1992 declared that Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by the sons and grandsons of the first king, Abd Al Aziz Al Saud, and that the Qur'an is the constitution of the country, which is governed on the basis of Islamic law (Shari'a). On 20 October 2006, the creation of a committee of princes to vote on the eligibility of future kings and crown princes was set up. The committee, to be known as the Allegiance Institution, will include the sons and grandsons of King Abdul Aziz, under the new rules the committee can vote for one of three princes nominated by the king. In the event that neither the king nor the crown prince are deemed fit to rule, a five-member transitory council would run state affairs for a maximum of one week.

There are no recognised political parties or national elections, except the local elections which were held in the year 2005. The king's powers are theoretically limited within the bounds of Shari'a and other Saudi traditions. He also must retain a consensus of the Saudi royal family, religious leaders (ulema), and other important elements in Saudi society.

Saudi kings gradually have developed a central government. Since 1953, the Council of Ministers, appointed by and responsible to the king, has advised on the formulation of general policy and directed the activities of the growing bureaucracy. This council consists of a prime minister, the first and second deputy prime ministers, 20 ministers (of whom the minister of defence also is the second deputy prime minister), two ministers of state, and a small number of advisers and heads of major autonomous organisations.

Legislation

National legislation comes from the Saudi Council of Ministers, but must be ratified by royal decree and found to be fully compatible with the kingdom's conservative interpretation of Shari'a law. Justice is administered according to the Shari'a by a system of religious courts whose judges are appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council, composed of 12 senior jurists. In theory, the independence of the judiciary is protected by law. The king acts as the highest court of appeal and has the power to pardon. Access to high officials (usually at a majlis, or public audience) and the right to petition them directly are well-established Saudi traditions.

Legal System

Saudi Arabia does not have much of a formal criminal code, and thus much of its law is derived from an ultra-conservative form of Sunni Islam commonly known as Wahhabism. To that end judges are free to impose capital punishment or corporal punishment, including amputations of hands and feet for certain crimes such as murder, robbery, rape, drug smuggling and for various forms of sexual behaviour such as homosexuality and adultery. The courts may impose less severe punishments, such as floggings, for less serious crimes against public morality such as drunkenness.

The punishments, especially the executions, are carried out in public in order to add humiliation to the convicted person and also to act as deterrence. Judges are generally given a tremendous amount of discretion in deciding how to punish a particular individual, and will make such decisions based on the particular school of Islam that they follow. For example:

• Theft may be punishable by the amputation of the right hand. If the right hand has already been amputated, the left hand is chosen instead.
• Drinking, selling, or buying alcohol and sniffing drugs or injecting drugs may be punishable by a sentence of eighty lashes.
• Smuggling heroin or cocaine into the country may be punishable by death (beheading with a sword).
• Fornication - if proven by four righteous witnesses - may be punishable by forty lashes, as is adultery.
• Murder, accidental death and bodily harm are open to punishment from the victim's family. Retribution may be sought in kind or through blood money. The blood money payable for a woman's accidental death is half as much as that for a man.

Mutaween

The Mutaween are the government-authorised religious police (or clerical police) who enforce varied interpretations of Sharia Law within Islamist theocracies.

The Saudi Arabian Mutaween are tasked with enforcing Sharia as defined by the government; the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice comprises more than 3,500 officers in addition to thousands of volunteers and who have the power to:

• arrest unrelated males and females caught socialising
• enforce Islamic dress-codes
• seize banned consumer products and media regarded as un-Islamic (such as CDs/DVDs of various Western musical groups, television shows and films)
• enforce prayer schedules
• check store closures during the prayer time
• enforce Muslim dietary laws prohibiting the consumption or sale of alcoholic beverages and pork,
• enforce bans of homosexuality and prostitution
• prevent the practice of other religions within Saudi Arabia

The religion police are often present with the regular police, but can also patrol without police escort. The Saudi mutaween recently launched a website on which un-Islamic behaviour can be reported.

A notorious incident attributed to the Saudi mutaween occurred on March 11, 2002, when they prevented schoolgirls from escaping a burning school in Mecca - because the girls were not wearing headscarves and abayas (black robes). Fifteen girls died and 50 were injured as a result. There was widespread public criticism afterwards, both internationally and within Saudi Arabia itself.

Human Rights

Several international human rights organisations, such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Committee have issued reports critical of the Saudi legal system and its human rights record in various political, legal, and social areas. The Saudi government typically asserts that its actions are based on its adherence to Islamic law.

In 2002, the United Nations Committee against Torture criticised Saudi Arabia over the amputations and floggings it carries out under the Shari'a. The Saudi delegation responded defending "legal traditions" held since the inception of Islam in the region 1,400 years ago and rejected "interference" in its legal system.

Foreign Relations

Saudi foreign policy objectives are to maintain its security and its paramount position on the Arabian Peninsula, defend general Arab and Islamic interests, promote solidarity among Islamic governments and maintain cooperative relations with other oil-producing and major oil-consuming countries. Although accused of being tolerant to extremism, the foreign policy is generally conciliatory and does not advocate belligerence, violent reform or revolution.

Saudi Arabia signed the UN Charter in 1945. The country plays a prominent role in the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and Arab and Islamic financial and development assistance institutions. One of the largest aid donors in the world, it still gives some aid to a number of Arab, African, and Asian countries. Jeddah is the headquarters of the Secretariat of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and its subsidiary organisation, the Islamic Development Bank, founded in 1969.