(As one who has lived there, this strikes me as heartening and being handled intelligently. As a Saudi once said, the last thing the Western world wants right now is complete democracy here. It would be Taliban II)
It is questionable that these elections will bring about real change real quickly, but they seem a small step forward.
Beyond that, we're generally political animals so I thought people might like a look at approaches to political campaigning in a place where it's new, in a place one wouldn't necessarily expect to find it. Candidate Web sites are common. Can Daily al Kos be far away?
From arabnews.com
snip: On Saturday morning, candidates had quarter and half page ads in newspapers promoting their ideas.
snip: One method used by nearly all candidates is to erect huge tents on empty plots of land where they can receive members of the public who want to ask them about their platforms.
The tent is usually large enough to accommodate as many as 200 people at a time. Guests are welcomed with dates and Arabic coffee. They are free to engage in conversation with the candidate and ask about matters that interest and concern them.
The rest of it can be found here