JEDDAH, 3 November 2004 — Many Saudis don’t plan to vote in the upcoming municipal elections, a survey revealed. The reason: They are skeptical about the municipal council’s role.
The Internet poll, conducted by Okaz Arabic newspaper, reveals results that contradict an earlier poll conducted by businessman Sami Idrees.
According to the Okaz poll, 56 percent of the 554 poll participants said they would not vote while 34 percent said they would. Idrees’ poll found that 70 percent of the Saudis surveyed are ready to vote while five percent said they are eager to be candidates.
Saudi Arabia’s first-ever municipal elections will be conducted in three phases beginning in February 2005. The elections end in March. Half of the members of the 178 municipal councils in the Kingdom’s 13 regions will be selected through this phased program, while the rest will be nominated.
The poll by Idrees on the role of citizens in municipal councils, however, provided some disturbing results about the way citizens view their election role.
Asked about possible social reaction to the elections, 55 percent of those polled said society was not going to accept the new electoral experience; only seven percent said they believed that society would appreciate it. Ninety-two percent of the respondents had not discussed the elections with their families or friends.
In the Okaz poll, 42 percent said if they voted they would choose an intellectual candidate and only 19 percent would choose a businessman. The biggest surprise and disappointment in this poll is that only 27 percent think that the municipal council will play a major role serving society. The majority of the participants, 65 percent, said they do not think the municipal council will have a big role in serving society and eight percent said that they did not know, perhaps reflecting a lack of understanding of the elections and the authority of the council.
“I have heard about the elections, but I’m not following it in the news,” said Abla Al-Jifrey, a university student. “It’s not interesting.”
The fact that women are denied the right to run or vote in this year’s municipal elections has contributed to the disenfranchisement of many women and their families.
“I just don’t think these councils are going to benefit us in any way. I hear my parents talking about it, but they’re not that keen about it, either,” Abla said.
She said she thinks most of the people nominating themselves do so for personal interests, but if one of them is someone she knows or familiar with, she might follow up on it more. The issues she wants addressed include neighborhood cleanliness, road conditions and improvement of both education facilities and methods.
“I’m not following the details of the municipal elections because I think there is too much focus on the nominees rather than on their goals,” said Dr. Faris Towfeeq, a consulting vascular surgeon. He blames the disinterest of people in the elections on lack of awareness and confidence in the nominees’ ability to do anything.
“There should be a better media awareness campaign on the elections and the role of the municipal council as well as background information and the credentials of the nominees,” he said.
He also said the council’s authority needs to be clarified. “The elected members should have a spirit of initiative to convince people that they can serve them and the community,” the physician said. “People are skeptical about these nominees because they think they are running simply for the recognition and gaining access.”
He said he won’t participate in the elections because he does not think that even the candidates are aware of what their roles would be and lack the confidence to take leadership. “It is going to be a wasted, golden opportunity.”
Abu Muhammad, a government employee, on the other hand, is optimistic and very keen on following all the developments on the municipal elections. “It’s a good start even though I have my reservations on a few things, but the idea itself is encouraging, I never expected we would have elections,” he said.
He said the council and the elections should be independent from the municipality to ensure credibility. Among his circle of friends and colleagues, there are some who have no interest in following the elections, while others are critical and are downgrading its importance. “For me, my choice would be based on the candidate’s level of education and his platform, and I will vote.”
He is disappointed, though, by the council’s lack of authority. “From what I understand in reading about the council’s role, it seems that it is going to be an advisory body with no legislative or executive power, so in the end I’m not really expecting anything from it.”
