in 1995, fahd suffered a debilitating stroke, and the crown prince, abdullah, assumed the role of "de facto" regent, taking on the day-to-day running of the country. however, his authority was hindered by conflict with fahd's full brothers (known, with fahd, as the "sudairi seven"). from the 1990s, signs of discontent continued and included, in 2003 and 2004, a series of bombings and armed violence in riyadh, jeddah, yanbu and khobar. in february–april 2005, the first-ever nationwide municipal elections were held in saudi arabia. women were not allowed to take part in the poll.