QATIF: Fewer than 50 percent of eligible voters turned up at polling centers in Qatif and Khafji during the first phase of elections to the Eastern Province chamber board on Saturday.

“The turnout was pathetically low,” admitted Solaiman A.M. Solaiman, one of the 36 candidates for Asharqia Chamber board membership. “In fact, there were more election workers and volunteers than there were voters. The morning session was especially listless,” he said. “Voting was dull in Khafji too. Nevertheless, elections are a good exercise.”

Prominent businessman Khalid A. Al-Abdulkarim attributed the low turnout in the morning session to Saturday being a working day. “Most people are at work during the day. The percentage of voters will definitely improve in the second session,” he told Arab News. Predictions notwithstanding, however, the evening session did not see anything beyond a moderate turnout.

Nonetheless, the election committee, headed by Yahya Azzan, came in for praise. “Everything went well. The electoral list was in order and there was an army of young people at hand to guide the voters in the right direction. It was very orderly and smooth,” said Al-Abdulkarim.

Al-Abdulkarim was openly campaigning for Ibrahim Al-Jomaih. “I have come to Qatif to express my support for Al-Jomaih. He is not here for the morning session. He has gone to Khafji and will be back in Qatif in the evening. Till that time, I am taking care of his supporters and voters,” he said. Khafji is about a two-hour drive from Qatif.

Qatif has nearly 2,400 eligible voters but of that number, only 470 voted in the first session. In Khafji, there was only one session because of the low number of eligible voters there. According to some candidates, 300 of the estimated 600 businesspeople cast their votes in the border city.

There was a festive atmosphere in Qatif and the weather was pleasant. Most of the 36 candidates in the race were in the voting hall. They were encouraging and cheering their supporters. There was a great sense of camaraderie and friendly banter between the rival candidates. They were sipping Arabic coffee, eating dates and sharing jokes and thinking aloud about the current financial woes.

“At the end of the day, we all are friends and partners in progress and business,” said Salman Al-Jishi, a well-known businessman from Qatif. “We all mean well for the chamber and our community. Whatever the result, we will continue to strive for the good of the business community in the Eastern Province. That is why you see no enmity and no rancor here. It is like a family reunion.”

Al-Jishi is not running for election this time but he was at the polling center to give support to his friends. He was among the first businessmen to vote. So who did he vote for? Al-Jishi was guarded and diplomatic in his answer: “I voted for the person who is sure to win and who is sure to best serve the chamber and the business community.” On why he did not stand for election this time, Al-Jishi said it was time for a generational change. “Let the new generation take over. If you ask me, I will suggest that the election byelaws be changed and those who have served two four-year terms on the board should not be allowed to run the third time. With new people will come new ideas,” he said.

At the end of the first session, Al-Jishi invited everybody to a sumptuous lunch at his home in Qatif. “Everybody turned up. There were candidates and members of the current board and other businessmen,” he said.

While there was a lot of action at the polling center, in the town itself there was no enthusiasm. Many did not even know — nor did they seem to care — about what was taking place inside the polling center. “What will I get out of that?” asked a rather cynical Nasser A. Al-Rayees, a part-time teacher and hospital attendant. “Those businessmen and the rest of us live in two different worlds. Our worlds rarely meet. Let them have their elections and feel happy about them. It will be over tomorrow and nobody will know what happened here today.”

In the second phase on Sunday, businessmen will vote in Hafr Al-Batin and Ras Tanura. Twelve board members are to be elected from a list of 36 candidates. More than 24,000 businessmen and women are eligible to vote during the current elections. Results are expected to be announced on Wednesday.