Civic polls: Tribal loyalty dominates Hafr Al-Baten

JEDDAH: Tribal politics has once again come into play in Hafr Al-Baten in the Eastern Province, with the city witnessing “primaries” to choose a common candidate, local media reported Sunday.
Lobbying for common candidates reportedly started in the month of Ramadan, although such practice is banned by the Interior Ministry.
Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp raged with campaigns to form tribal blocs to choose potential candidates for the Dec. 12 municipal elections.
The city, which is about 95 km from the Kuwaiti border, is influenced by such internal elections prevalent in that country.
The chances of selecting female candidates looks dim due to the conservative tribal environment in Hafr Al-Baten. However, this does not prevent a woman from exercising her franchise, although her vote will automatically go to the candidate chosen by her guardian, husband, father, brother or even her son.
Some tribes in this constituency have resorted to holding internal elections for the members of the same tribe to choose among its member a candidate. A number of candidates have already announced withdrawal from the election race in support of one candidate from the same tribe.
Efforts by some young men to launch awareness campaigns among voters to elect candidates who are efficient to server Hafr Al-Batin proved futile in the face of the tribal tide.
Some parties in the city have ruled out the possibility of women entering the election fray as candidates.
The filing of nomination papers by candidates will be allowed for 17 days, beginning Aug. 30. It will be interesting to watch the final list of candidates in this tribal dominated constituency when the nomination process ends.