JEDDAH, 28 November 2004 — Though women will not vote in the coming nationwide municipal elections, some 2,750 Saudi businesswomen are preparing to cast their votes at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry tomorrow to elect board members.
“This is for the first time Saudi businesswomen have been allowed to vote directly in a chamber election,” Princess Haila Al-Farhan, director of the women’s section at the chamber, told Al-Eqtisadiah business daily, a sister publication of Arab News. She said that the 2,750 businesswomen registered with the chamber would be allowed to vote.
A committee with representatives of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the chamber will supervise the election to pick 12 board members. “All businesswomen whose names appear on the approved voter list can take part in the election,” the princess said.
Twenty-one candidates are standing for office. They include well-known figures like Abdul Rahman Al-Jeraisy, present chairman, Saad Al-Moajjal, Ahmed Suleiman Al-Rajhi, Nasser Al-Humaid, Khaled Al-Muqairen, Salah Al-Rashed, Dr. Abdullah Al-Humaidan, Abdul Aziz M. Al-Adel and Abdul Aziz Al-Ajlan.
According to the rules, a candidate must be a Saudi and at least 30 years old. For a university graduate the minimum age is 25 years. He should be a member of the chamber and should have at least three years’ experience in business or industry. Graduates are eligible even with one year’s experience. Candidates may not use either local or foreign media in their campaigns.
Businesswomen who own firms are entitled to cast their vote only once, even if they own several firms. As for companies owned by a businesswoman, the director or chairman of the board or managing director or a board member of the company can vote on her behalf. She should, however, provide the voter, who must be a Saudi, an authorization letter attested by the chamber.
Huda Al-Jeraisy, deputy chairperson of the women’s committee at the chamber, urged businesswomen to take active part in the elections, saying it was a good opportunity.
Muneera Al-Shenaify, a businesswoman, thanked the ministry for allowing them to vote this time directly without a male agent. Wadhi Al-Ajami said she would vote for a candidate after studying his programs, especially those in favor of women. Amal Zahid and Hussa Al-Aun complained, however, that the chamber had not shown much interest in women’s participation in elections.
Arrangements for businesswomen to vote have been made at the women’s section, which was recently established to cater to the needs of businesses run by Saudi women. In the past, legal male agents voted on the women’s behalf.
The women’s committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry recently elected Princess Haila as its first chairperson. Nusreen Qattan of the Madinah chamber, and Ghida Al-Jerifany of the Eastern Province chamber were elected deputy chairpersons. Apart from businesswomen, the committee includes female academics and other well-known people from all over the Kingdom.
