1、,Saudi Arabia,8,Constitution,Verses from the Quran, the official constitution of the country.The Quran and the Sunnah (the traditions of Muhammad) are declared to be the countrys constitution.,National government,The government of Saudi Arabia is led by the monarch, King Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz, who
2、 acceded to the throne in 2005. No political parties or national elections are permittednd according to The Economists 2010 Democracy Index, the Saudi government is the seventh most authoritarian regime from among the 167 countries ratedGovernment is dominated by the royal family.,The King,The Basic
3、 Law specifies that the king must be chosen from among the sons of the first king, Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and their male descendants subject to the subsequent approval of religious leaders (the ulema).,King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia,In 2007 an “Allegiance Council“ was created, comprising Abdul Azizs sur
4、viving sons plus a grandson of each his deceased sons, to determine which member of the royal family,will be the heir apparent (the Crown Prince) after Prince Sultan, who is the current Crown Prince, either dies or accedes to the throne.,Royal family,The royal family dominates the political system.
5、The familys vast numbers allow it to control most of the kingdoms important posts and to have an involvement and presence at all levels of government.,The Ulema and the Al ash-Sheikh,Not only is royal succession subject to the approval of the ulema, so are all new laws. The ulema have historically b
6、een led by the Al ash-Sheikh, the countrys leading religious family.,Corruption,The Saudi government and the royal family have often, and over many years, been accused of corruption.,Transparency International in its annual Corruption Perceptions Index for 2010 gave Saudi Arabia a score of 4.7 (on a
7、 scale from 0 to 10 where 0 is “highly corrupt“ and 10 is “highly clean“).,Politics outside of the royal family,Politics in Saudi Arabia, outside of the royal family, can be examined in three contexts: the extent to which the royal family allows political participation by the wider Saudi society, op
8、position to the regime, and Islamist terrorism.,Regional government,The kingdom is divided into 13 regions(maniq), which in turn are divided into numerous districts. Regional governors are appointed, usually from the royal family, and preside over one or more municipal councils, half of whose member
9、s are appointed and half elected.,The governors are responsible for such functions as finance, health, education, agriculture, and municipalities. The consultative principle operates at all levels of government, including the government of villages and tribes.The governors act as regional “mini-king
10、s“, sitting in majlises, hearing grievances and settling disputes.,Political participation,Outside of the House of Al Saud, participation in the political process is limited to a relatively small segment of the population and takes the form of the royal family consulting with the ulema, tribal sheikhs and members of important commercial families on major decisions,Thank you,
