JEDDAH, 20 April 2005 — With the last round of the Kingdom’s landmark municipal elections only hours away, a voters’ list containing names of what is believed to be the entire electorate in Jeddah region has been leaked to candidates through compact disks.
Some people are trading in CDs that contain classified information about the voters such as their names and cell phone numbers. Each CD is sold at SR5,000 and some of the candidates are reportedly buying them to call voters for their support, according to Al-Eqtisadiah, a sister publication of Arab News.
The candidates are using the CDs to text voters in an attempt to woo them. They have been vying with each other in spreading text massages especially as the election is close at hand. Seven municipal seats are at stake for 548 candidates in Jeddah city.
Several Saudis have vowed that they will withdraw support to some candidates who bombard them with text messages seeking their votes.
In Makkah alone, 50,000 text massages have been spread among the voters claiming that a group of seven candidates have been recommended by the holy city’s religious scholars.
The recommendation has created a major controversy, with candidates who failed to win endorsement crying foul.
A candidate said that two non-Saudis were behind sending text massages to people from unknown phones. He revealed that some foreigners were given money and prepaid cards to send as many text massages as possible.
Although the CDs have found some takers, there are other candidates who refuse to believe the list is genuine because the CDs are circulating illegally. They are calling for action against those who deal in such CDs.
