Poll regulations bar gender mixing, says top official

JEDDAH: Abdullah Al-Mansour, deputy secretary-general for municipal council affairs at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, said election regulations explicitly prohibit all forms of mixing between men and women, be they candidates or voters.
He said regulations stipulate separate electoral centers for male and female voters. Male candidates can address female voters at the women’s centers through audio circuit or CCTV, while female candidates can address voters at the men’s centers through closed audio circuit.
For the first time in the history of the Kingdom, women will be allowed to vote and fight elections as candidates for the Dec. 12 municipal elections.
Male and female representatives will be tasked with monitoring and identifying any violations and reporting the time, location and names of those involved in the violation to electoral committees.
Election regulations apply the same rights to men and women for election campaigns, and both are required to comply with all regulations, including the need of obtaining a license for election campaigns, he said. The regulations impose a fee on the use of propaganda, such as posters, and mobile and fixed signs that include the candidate’s name and number, while other licenses are free.
The municipal council regulations also prohibit any candidates, male or female, from providing personal information to voters, including telephone numbers.
The election process, including campaigning by candidates, takes place over three months. Voters can register between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. from Aug. 22 to Sept. 14. Candidates can do so from Aug. 30 to Sept. 17.
Preliminary lists of candidates will be published on Sept. 30 while the last date for withdrawal is Nov. 19, when the final list of candidates will be announced.