They also pointed out that voters across the Kingdom are giving greater consideration to the election programs of contestants rather than any other factors. Unlike the past election, candidates have presented realistic manifestos to woo voters.

“Candidates are trying to have one-to-one contact with voters in their constituency in order to convince them and obtain the maximum number of votes,” one analyst said.

Muhammad Al-Shaqaa, who specializes in modern media, has emphasized the role of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter in mobilizing voter support. “These sites have a big impact on society because a large number of people, especially youths, use them. These media can reach voters at any time and help candidates establish a kind of personal relationship with their voters,” he said.

Abdul Rahman Al-Dahmash, the election commissioner, has said that 752 polling booths across the country are prepared for the Sept. 29 civic polls. He said voting would start at 8 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. “Only those who have their names on the electoral roll will be allowed to vote,” he said.

Candidates have been given 11 days from Sept. 18 to 28 for campaigning. “The commission has not banned the candidates from using the Internet and websites during their election campaign as long as they do not violate general rules,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Al-Dahmash as saying.

He said all candidates whose names have appeared in the final list have the right to conduct election campaigns after obtaining necessary permission from the local election committee. “They can prepare for their campaign before this period without advertising in the media directly or indirectly,” he said.

Al-Shaqaa said the use of the Internet and social media is less expensive compared to other programs. “These are popular media and big budgets are not needed to use them,” he said.

In the last elections, candidates spent huge sums of money on campaign programs in tent camps and conference halls.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Al-Humaidi, head of the legal department at the election commission, said the rules and regulations set by the commission had played a big role in organizing campaigns without complaints. “The election bylaws were instrumental in providing equal opportunities for all candidates and diminishing the role of money in determining voter decisions,” he said.

Bareek Al-Garni, a member of the election commission, said voters who had registered for the last election can vote as their names would remain on the voter list even if they did not vote last time.

People can either visit the commission’s website www.intekhab.gov.sa or send an SMS to 0560303050 mentioning their ID numbers to get registration details.

“Unlike the previous election, a voter can vote only for one candidate in his constituency,” Al-Garni said. Voting will take place throughout the Kingdom simultaneously. The last election was held in three phases.