Saudi Councils Formed

The municipal councils partially elected in Saudi Arabia early this year have now actually been formed. I suppose I should be happy that there is now some formal channel for public input into decision-making, but this is just so little even compared to other Gulf states like Bahrain and Kuwait that it barely seems worth noting. On the other hand, it's more meaningful that the UAE's reform, in which elections by a handful of voters specially chosen by the voters is trumpeted as progress.