in the absence of national elections and political parties, politics in saudi arabia takes place in two distinct arenas: within the royal family, the al saud, and between the royal family and the rest of saudi society. outside of the 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. this process is not reported by the saudi media.