The Shoura Council in session is shown in this file photo. (SPA)

Saudi citizens and Shoura members have pinned great hopes on Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s annual address to the Shoura Council on Jan. 6, 2015. They expect announcement of key decisions.

Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, will deliver the king’s speech, said Abdullah Al-Asheikh, president of the 150-member consultative body.

In a previous address to the Shoura in 2011, King Abdullah announced the government’s decision to appoint women to the consultative council and giving women right to vote and run in municipal elections.

In January 2013, King Abdullah appointed 30 highly qualified women to the council, which was described by Al-Asheikh as historic. “Year after year, we reap the fruits of this historic decision,” the president said.

He said women have proved their excellence through their immense contributions to different policy-making legislations.

“We consider the king’s annual speech as a working document and as a guideline for our discussions,” he said. “It sets out the objectives the government wants to realize next year and highlights its domestic and foreign policies,” he said.

Al-Asheikh commended Saudi Arabia’s achievements during King Abdullah’s golden era, urging citizens to rise up to the leadership’s expectations. “The Shoura has now become a fundamental partner in the national decision-making process,” the president said, adding that most the Cabinet decisions are first approved by the Shoura.

Abdelelah Saaty, dean of the College of Business in Rabigh, emphasized the significance of the king’s speech.

“Saudis are looking forward to it in the hope that it would contain major policy decisions that will further lead the Kingdom to greater prosperity,” he told Arab News.

Saaty called upon the Shoura to discuss matters that concern citizens. He backed the current system of appointing Shoura members instead of election to ensure the presence of right people.

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