JEDDAH, 10 August 2004 — Saudi Arabia yesterday announced the rules and regulations for the country’s first municipal elections which will be held in three phases from November 2004 into early 2005.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the landmark elections to elect half the members of 178 municipal councils in 13 regions would be held in three stages after Ramadan. The remaining members of the municipal councils will be appointed by the government.

The rules issued by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs state that all citizens above the age of 21, except military personnel, will be eligible to vote. “Every citizen has the right to vote if (they are) ... over 21 years old, not in the military and have been living in a constituency for a year before the election day,” the bylaw says.

There were press reports that women would not be allowed to vote but an expert in constitutional law told the AFP news agency that the wording of the bylaw effectively leaves open the possibility that women can vote.

“The basic law in Saudi Arabia uses the masculine form when referring to citizens in general,” Abdul Aziz Al-Owaisheq said. Saudi women rights’ activists welcomed the new regulations as being free of discrimination against women’s right to vote. “If decision-makers wanted to exclude women, they would have stated that clearly in the text,” Hatoon Al-Fassi, a lecturer at King Saud University, said. Journalist Nahed Batahesh noted that the regulations underlined the important role of women in Saudi society and that they were “partners in the process of development.”

In the first phase, elections will be held in the Riyadh region in November. The second phase, to be conducted before the Haj, will include the Eastern Province as well as the Asir, Baha, Jizan and Najran regions. The third phase of elections in the regions of Makkah, Madinah, Qasim, Al-Jouf, the Northern Border Region, Tabuk and Hail will be held after the Haj.

Public awareness campaigns about the elections will be carried out in September and October. Saudi leaders promised last October to organize elections within a year in order to encourage popular participation in the decision-making process.

The bylaw urged Saudis not to use the elections to create sedition and racial, tribal or regional conflicts and not to defame candidates and voters directly or indirectly.

There is a bar against using mosques and public facilities for election campaigns, the SPA said, adding that the ministry would issue new regulations for the campaigns.

Voting will start at 8 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. “If there are voters still to vote after 5 p.m., the time will be extended until all have voted. In all cases, the actual time when voting started and ended must be recorded and signed by the chairman and members of the voting and counting committees.”

The voting and counting committees are allowed to use the police to ensure security at polling places. “The ministry will coordinate with the Interior Ministry at all stages of the elections as well as deciding to stop election procedures if and when necessary.”

According to SPA, constituencies will be formed after the registration of voters. “With regard to later elections, constituencies will be formed at least 60 days before elections,” it said, adding that the ministry would decide the area of each constituency and the number of its council members to be elected.

Candidates can nominate themselves within five days after the publication of a voter list. The list of candidates will be published 25 days before elections at the headquarters of each constituency. A candidate is allowed to contest in only one constituency. Candidates can withdraw their nominations within five days after the publication of list of candidates, the bylaw said. Every candidate must appoint an agent from the voters to represent him at the voting and counting committees.

“The voting must be done secretly and a person should not vote for more than the required candidates,” the bylaw said, adding that voters would be given a ballot only after their identity had been confirmed.

“Those who do not know how to use the ballot can vote with the help of a voting committee member,” it said. Those who are physically handicapped can cast their votes by authorizing somebody and the authorization must be endorsed by the voting committee. Such voters should produce a certificate proving they are handicapped.

The chairman of the voting and counting committee will open the ballot box before the election begins and show it to those in the polling booth to make sure that it is empty. The box will then be sealed and signed by all members in the presence of others.

Polling will be stopped and candidates will be declared winners if the number of candidates does not reach the prescribed number to be elected and if the number of candidates is equal to the required number to be elected. In that case the ministry will appoint the required number of members.

Votes will become invalid if people vote for more than the required number of candidates or put any mark to show their identity or vote on papers other than the official ballots.

Candidates and their agents can attend the counting. The results must be signed by the voting committee chairman and members. The result must be sent to the ministry in order to complete the procedures.

“If more than one candidate receive the same number of votes, the committee chairman will select one of them by drawing, in the presence of the candidates or their agents. And this must be done within three days after the counting. The one who wins the draw will be declared the winner.”

The names of the winners will be published at the headquarters of the constituencies and in at least four newspapers soon after the declaration of results. The ministry will prepare forms for the registration of voters and candidates as well as the ballot papers and the complaint and withdrawal forms.

Several committees will be set up to organize the ballot. These include a general committee and local committees to supervise elections. There will be another committee to register the names of qualified voters and another to register the candidates, conduct polls, count votes and declare election results.

The election and vote counting committees should have at least five members and their chairmen should be legal consultants. The result must be signed by all committee members.

The bylaw said the ministry would keep a copy of the voter list and provide the Interior Ministry a copy and the list would be published at the headquarters of constituencies at least 30 days before the elections.

The ministry will decide the voting date at least 90 days before the elections. The decision will be published in the official gazette, four newspapers and at the headquarters of constituencies. There will be a three-member committee chaired by a legal consultant to look into complaints and the committee will be appointed by the ministry at least 30 days before the elections.

The committee will make a decision after hearing views of both sides within five days in the event of receiving a complaint. The committee can remove any voter or candidate from the list and abrogate the election of any candidate. It can also call for a re-poll in any constituency if necessary.

Any voter or candidate can question the presence of a person in the list of voters and candidates for not fulfilling the required conditions within three days after the issuance of the lists. “Every voter and candidate can request within five days after the publication of the list of winners in his constituency to abrogate the election of any one of them,” the law said.