JEDDAH, 3 March 2005 — Adel Faqeeh, chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and managing director of Savola Group, has emerged the frontrunner for the post of Jeddah mayor to replace Abdullah Al-Muallami whose term ended recently.
The mayoral change comes as the city enters the second half of the registration period for the forthcoming municipal elections in the Western region of the Kingdom.
An official at the municipality, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “Authorities should have automatically extended Al-Muallami’s term at least just until the end of the municipality elections. The elections are a first time exceptional event, so exceptions ought to have been made. It’s a hard and crucial time for a newcomer to take over.”
Al-Muallami was appointed by royal decree on April 16, 2000 for a four-year term replacing Dr. Nazeeh Naseef who did not complete his full term.
With the buzz going around the Jeddah business and elite circles about the next possible mayoral candidate, speculation was rife that Adel Faqeeh, Mohammad Bakr and Dr. Abdullah Dahlan were in the running. But official sources have indicated that Faqeeh would be appointed mayor early next week.
Faqeeh was not available for comment but his office told Arab News that his unannounced appointment was news to them. Prominent businessman Mohammad Bakr was also unavailable for any comment on his speculated nomination.
“I’ve no idea about my possible nomination as Jeddah mayor,” said Dr. Abdullah Dahlan, the first person to come forward as a municipality candidate. He said: “I hope that Al-Muallami has the chance to serve a second term so that he can continue to complete the projects he started. Among the best things he’s done for the city of Jeddah was the improvement and development of Jeddah Corniche, so I do hope that the decision-makers would give him a second chance to do more for this large city that is growing at a fast pace.”
“This means Al-Muallami could run as a candidate in the municipal elections if he’s no longer bound to his position,” said Abu Mohammad, an acquaintance of Al-Muallami. “After all who is more familiar with the city’s needs and problems than the former mayor of Jeddah?”
