JEDDAH, 3 April 2006 — Registration of candidates for elections to the Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s board of directors began at a slow pace on Saturday. Some businesswomen too have expressed their interest in contesting the elections.
So far only five businessmen have officially submitted their nominations. The Commerce Ministry, which supervises the election, announced last week that it was increasing the number of members on the MCCI board from 12 to 15. Ten members will be elected and the rest will be nominated by the ministry.
Following the victory of two businesswomen in elections to the Jeddah chamber, businesswomen in other cities are eager to follow in their footsteps.
In Madinah, so far four businesswomen have expressed their interest in contesting.
“Last week I organized a campaign to create awareness among businesswomen here about the elections and the rules of voting. Although attendance at the campaign was low, those who attended were enthusiastic,” said Nisreen Qattan, director of Madinah Businesswomen’s Center. The center was established only four months ago.
Only 268 businesswomen in Madinah are eligible to vote, though their actual number is much higher. Members should have renewed their registration at least six months ago in order to have the right to vote.
“The men’s support is very crucial and I tried to suggest to the women wishing to run that it would be better to join one of the two groupings to gain their support. Some groups have welcomed women,” Nisreen told Arab News. Registration of candidates will continue for another two weeks.
