JEDDAH, 28 April 2006 — The two businesswomen running in the elections for the Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry board of directors withdrew their nominations on Wednesday.

The news came as a shock to the businesswomen community in Madinah and elsewhere as this dashes all hope for a repeat of the Jeddah experience in electing women to the chamber’s board of directors — especially after the failure of women in the Eastern Province to win a seat — until the next elections in four years.

Dr. Wafa Tulba and Dr. Nihad Sunbul, both dentists, met all the criteria for nomination after the applications of four businesswomen were rejected, but with their withdrawal and the end of the deadline for filing applications, there are no women candidates among the final list of contestants.

“We withdrew for personal reasons,” said Sunbul to Arab News. “We would not like to elaborate on anything at the moment, but later we will clarify the reasons behind our decisions.”

Rumors surfaced that they were harassed and that they did not get the support of the group they were in, but Sunbul refused to comment.

Arab News had learned that the two women met with the other members of the Golden Group, an alliance of candidates running in the elections, a few days ago to discuss the group’s agenda and it seems there was some sort of disagreement.

“The news fell on me like a thunderbolt,” said Nisreen Qattan, director of the Businesswomen’s Center in Madinah. She had planned to meet with the two candidates and members of the election supervising committee on Wednesday to go over voting procedures.

Instead she received a call from the committee informing her of the candidates’ withdrawal, which meant canceling arrangements for women to cast their vote at the center in order to allow them a chance to meet the candidates.

The women can still cast their vote at the chamber in person or through a wakeel (male agent).

Voting will take place for three days starting May 13. The first day was supposed to be for women voters at the center but that has been canceled.