JEDDAH, 20 March 2005 — Candidates for seats on the municipal councils in the Western Region will begin registering today. The final voters’ lists were issued to election stations all over the province yesterday. The first candidates’ list will be published on March 27 and the final list April 9.
Citizens seeking election to the councils must complete the necessary documents and submit them to the election committee before Wednesday, the last day for registration. A candidate must be a Saudi by birth or if naturalized, must have been a citizen for at least 10 years. He must be at least 25 years old, must live permanently in the municipality during his term of office.
Abu Hamad, an election official, said, “We’ve been hearing about various people who consider themselves qualified to stand as candidates. I hope that the prospective candidates realize that this isn’t a popularity contest but a matter of responsibility and of having a conscience. It’s not about social status at all.”
People who have a criminal record or have served time in prison or have any other legal penalty applied to him for a crime that is either indecent or dishonorable during the last five years are not eligible to register. They must not have been dismissed from public service for disciplinary reasons or if so, the dismissal should have been at least five years ago. Candidates must be able to read and write Arabic fluently, must be competent and mentally stable.
Fahd Al-Ghamdi said, “Some are taking it as a personal challenge but then, there are those who’re taking it seriously and already have their platforms ready and in place. It’s going to be hard for people to wait until April to start campaigning. People are already trying to win voters.”
An elected member is not allowed to hold more than one seat. He is not allowed to be employed with the municipality or in any connection to the municipality.
Now that voter registration in the Western Region is over, citizens are becoming persistent in their inquiries about the municipality, the council members and the elections.
“I’ve done my bit; I came and I registered,” said Abu Fahd, a middle-aged Saudi who is a Civil Affairs employee. “But ask me what the importance of the municipality council is, what the criteria for a citizen to qualify as a candidate are — in addition to other related details — ask me, and my answer will be ‘I don’t know’.”
According to a pamphlet issued on behalf of the municipality, the responsibilities of the municipal councils include preparing the municipal budget, approving the final accounts, preparing the municipality’s organizational plan to be approved by the minister of municipal and rural affairs, monitoring the revenue, expenditures and administration of municipality finances, monitoring of municipality functions and working on improving quality of its services, and recommending projects for the benefit of the public.
“The municipal council’s role is related to all the citizens’ daily needs,” said Mohammad, an election official at one of the centers.
