So, threatened as the regional hegemon, Saudi Arabia has joined the reform race by announcing partial municipal elections to consultative bodies in which the royal family already appoints half the members. The first election will be held in the capital of Riyadh on February 10, followed by the oil rich Eastern region and the southern Asir region on March 2 and Mecca and Medina in the western Hijaz region and al Jouf, in the Northern Region, on April 21.