JEDDAH, 18 January — The two groups that took part in the board election of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday have called for setting up a permanent exhibition center in Makkah for products from Islamic countries.
Marae Bin Mahfouz, who won the largest of 703 votes in the election from a total of 2,400 votes, said the call for holding exhibitions by Muslim states was in line with the government's move to increase trade exchange with Islamic countries.
Talal Faqeeh, son of famous businessman and former chairman of the chamber Abdul Rahman Faqeeh, described the proposal to hold exhibitions in Makkah as an important step toward boosting business in the city. "It aims at establishing contacts with the Islamic market and promoting trade relations between Muslim countries," Faqeeh told Arab News.
The chamber election this time was the toughest and most violent compared to previous years. There was intense competition between the contestants in the two camps -- Nahda and Injaz. There were eight candidates from each group, four representing traders and four industrialists.
The candidates represented prominent business families in Makkah. The two groups were preparing for the election for the last several months but the campaign reached its peak in the past three months. Both camps held separate meetings and parties for chamber members to catch votes.
