Editing Politics of Saudi Arabia (section)

===Political participation===
[[File:Shura Council in Saudi Arabia.jpeg|thumb|The [[Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia|Consultative Assembly]] at [[Al Yamamah Palace]] in [[Riyadh]]]]
Outside the House of 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 ulama, tribal sheiks, and members of important commercial families on major decisions.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online: Saudi Arabia"/> This process is not reported by the Saudi media.<ref>{{cite book |title=Culture and Customs of Saudi Arabia |last=Long |first=David E. |year=2005 |isbn=978-0313320217 |page=[https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00long/page/85 85] |url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00long/page/85 }}</ref>  In theory, all males of the age of majority have a right to petition the king directly through the traditional tribal meeting known as the ''[[majlis]]''.<ref name=Cavendish92>{{cite book |title=World and Its Peoples: the Arabian Peninsula |last=Cavendish |first=Marshall |year=2007 |isbn=978-0761475712 |pages=92–93 |url=https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse |url-access=limited }}</ref> In many ways, the approach to government differs little from the traditional system of tribal rule. Tribal identity remains strong and, outside the royal family, political influence is frequently determined by tribal affiliation, with tribal sheiks maintaining a considerable degree of influence over local and national events.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online: Saudi Arabia"/> In recent years there have been limited steps to widen political participation, such as the establishment of the [[Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia|Consultative Council]] in the early 1990s and the National Dialogue Forum in 2003.<ref name= Al-Rasheed242/>