there has been mounting pressure to reform and modernize the royal family's rule, an agenda championed by king abdullah both before and after his accession in 2005. the creation of the consultative council in the early 1990s did not satisfy demands for political participation, and, in 2003, an annual "national dialogue forum" was announced that would allow selected professionals and intellectuals to publicly debate current national issues, within certain prescribed parameters. in 2005, the first municipal elections were held. in 2007, the allegiance council was created to regulate the succession. in 2009, the king made significant personnel changes to the government by appointing reformers to key positions and the first woman to a ministerial post. however, these changes have been criticized as being too slow or merely cosmetic.