“The political decision-makers do not want elections,” he added. “They held the elections before just to show the United States that elections would bring Islamists, who are organized and have a bloc.”

When the government announced its plans in 2003 to allow the council elections, they were billed as part of an overall plan to edge this conservative, tradition-bound nation toward a more open system. Crown Prince Abdullah, now the king, had included them in a broader agenda that included a formalized national dialogue, conferences at which various groups were invited to discuss national issues.

Taken together, his programs suggested an interest in fostering public participation in a process that had been the exclusive province of the royal family. But from the very start, the councils proved to be a disappointment, fueling apathy more than interest.

“The whole experience was a failure,” said Hamed al-Qahtani, an architect who lives in the eastern province of Dammam. “The council has no legislative or executive powers; all they can do is make proposals that get shelved.”

The decision to delay the council elections, which had been scheduled for this year, was expected. The government’s statement that the delay would give it time to write a law, further opening the process of municipal elections, made no mention of allowing women to vote, which had earlier been discussed.

“They want to grant more powers to these councils and expand the electoral process so that the elected portion would be wider and bigger,” said Anwar Majid Eshki, director of the Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies, which is based in Saudi Arabia. “This is considered a good step for the local councils, and that’s why they extended for two years.”

King Abdullah is popular and has taken what are considered bold moves to try to speed reconciliation between modernity and his ultra-religious, traditional nation. He has ousted from power some major conservative figures, and he appointed the first female deputy minister. While he has absolute authority, he still must rule by consensus within the family, and there are forces that oppose his actions.