RIYADH, Feb 10: Saudis voted on Thursday in the first phase of municipal polls to elect half the members of municipal council seats in Riyadh and its suburbs.

The turnout was low in the morning, though it started to pick up by midday in polling centres across Riyadh.

The voting took place in a relaxed atmosphere and amid low-key security.

Although women were barred from participating or even voting, Riyadh mayor Prince Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf al-Muqrin told the press after casting his vote in eastern Riyadh: "We will recommend that women vote next time." The next round of elections would be held after four years from now. The current elections are the first to be held in the Kingdom over the last four decades.

Seven members of the Riyadh municipal council are to be elected through the polls, whereas the government would appoint seven other members in line with the system of the municipal councils.

Electioneering process went peacefully. The number of voters registered for the first phase of elections is 150,000, out of whom 86,000 are in Riyadh City alone. The number of candidates taking part in the first phase of elections is 1818; 646 of them are in the fray for seven seats in Riyadh municipality.

Voters started to cast their votes since morning at 140 polling stations and the process continued till 5pm today. Voters already inside the polling stations were allowed to cast their vote even after the closing time.

The official announcement for the winners will be made on Saturday. The sorting process was scheduled to start on Thursday evening.

Thursday's polls in Riyadh and surrounding areas are the first of three rounds that will eventually see elected representatives take up half the seats on 178 municipal councils across Saudi Arabia.

Government appointees will fill the remaining seats. The rest of the country will vote in March and April.

A total of 1,818 candidates are running in the first round, 646 of whom are competing for just seven seats on the capital's council. A total of 104 seats are up for grabs in the ballot.

The Riyadh mayor while talking to the press here emphasised that the municipality law in Saudi Arabia did not prevent women from either voting or contesting elections.

Prince Mansoor said: "The government intended to go with the elections without the involvement of women due to the lack of trained women and the lack of infrastructure needed for the establishment of segregated women's ballot centres in the Kingdom."

"You know in Saudi Arabia we have to have segregated centres for women due to social aspects," he pointed out.