Woman power to be tested at civic vote

JEDDAH: Saudi women will be able to contest and vote for the first time in municipal elections, adding another element to the upcoming polls.
The move aims at meeting the aspirations, dreams and needs of all citizens, particularly in municipal and developmental issues.
Any citizen, holding a valid ID, can participate in municipal elections as a voter or a candidate if he or she meets the set conditions.
Citizens wishing to vote should be 18 on the day of the election, which coincides with 1/3/1437 Hijri. They should also be residents of the electoral district where they cast their ballots.
Men and women, aged 25 or above and without any criminal record, can contest elections in the area where they have been registered as voters.
Citizens, who had been dismissed from the public service, for disciplinary reasons within three years of the election date cannot contest elections.
Local regulations also require the candidates to hold high school certificates.
Article 66 of the new municipal law states the need to draft the relevant procedures and regulations that guarantee women’s participation in compliance with Shariah regulations.
Local committees will carry out the task of choosing and preparing independent and separate electoral centers for women, meeting international norms and standards of equality.
Nearly 30,000 citizens are expected to be involved in the process of organizing the elections. The number did not exceed 16,000 during the past two elections.
Judai bin Nahar Al-Qahtani, spokesman of the General Committee for Municipal Elections, said that 16 local committees would organize the elections across the Kingdom.
The number of male and female employees in these committees is expected to be 30,000.
Women will be partners in organizing the elections, preparing polling locations and developing the committees and procedures for women voters.
Al-Qahtani said the local committees of the municipal councils choose suitable locations for voter registration and receive nomination papers.
Most of the locations will be in school buildings, he said.
Authorities are also looking at places such as universities or other government buildings as possible venues for poll-related work.
There are 285 councils organizationally linked to the ministry. They are legal entities with financial and administrative independence.