RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Abdul Rahman al-Hussein voted for the candidate pledging to build playgrounds. Another man picked the candidate pushing affordable housing. Local concerns held sway as Saudi men cast city council ballots yesterday in the first regular election in their country’s history.

Saudis gingerly went through the seven-page ballot card, smiling broadly as they cast their votes and made plans to frame their green voter-registration cards. Many said the novel experience was a good first step toward democratic reform in this absolute monarchy – but should be followed by more.

“This is the beginning of a new era. We now know what elections are, and what it means to make your voice heard through proper channels,” said Abdul Nasser al-Zahrani, 46, an archaeology professor. “It is the beginning of democracy.”

Voting began slowly at 8 a.m., the beginning of the two-day Saudi weekend, but the pace picked up later in the day, especially in lower-income areas. Women were kept away, banned from either running in the elections or voting.

Officials opened the tall, gray ballot boxes to make sure they were empty before sealing them. The smell of incense wafted through some polling stations as voters ticked off the names of their candidates.

Some had to be shepherded through the voting. Others complained to officials about voters chatting on cell phones in violation of voting rules. One enthusiastic voter made a V-for-victory sign as he got his ballot card.

More than 1,800 candidates were contesting 127 seats in the capital and surrounding villages, with 640 of them running for seven seats in Riyadh. Two more phases will cover the rest of the country in March and April.

Only half of almost 1,200 councilmen nationwide will be elected. The rest will be appointed. While many see the vote as a modest step, others see it as a remarkable development in a country where any talk of public participation in decision-making once was taboo.

Asked how he felt about the election, especially since it gave some power to citizens his family has ruled for decades, Prince Mohammed bin Saud said: “We believe in these reforms and we’re going in the right direction.”

The kingdom came under international pressure to reform after the September 11, 2001, attacks, carried out by 19 Arabs, 15 of them Saudi. Some progressive Saudis have blamed the lack of democracy for the prevalence of a puritanical Islamic ideology in which terrorists can easily find justification for their actions.

Prince Mansour bin Miteb, head of the election commission, said voter turnout was “very reasonable” shortly before polls closed at 5 p.m. Final results are not expected until Friday or Saturday. Only 149,000 of 600,000 eligible voters registered to vote.

With so many candidates, it was not clear who would have the advantage: Wealthy businessmen who poured millions into campaigns, or fundamentalist Muslim candidates who enjoy credibility and a reputation for honesty among many Saudis.