The formalities of lodging appeals by losing candidates, or hearing complaints about candidates overstepping the bounds of campaigning or just breaking rules set up by the electoral commission will all be completed within the next fortnight.

The final list of the members of all municipal councils will be available only on that day, as the last day to take action on appeals is Oct. 15.

Chairman of the Municipal Election Committee Abdul Rahman Al-Dahmash said new regulations of municipal councils have been submitted to higher authorities for approval, adding that the councils would be given wider executive powers in addition to the monitoring role that the existing councils have.

Jeddah Mayor Hani Abu Ras, chairman of the local municipal election committee, announced the results of seven municipal council seats in the city while the remaining results from nearby towns are awaited.

Local Arabic newspapers said fewer than 10 percent of eligible voters had cast their votes in some areas of Jeddah while in nearby governorates the turnout had reached up to 60 percent.

Bassam Akhdar, who has been declared elected from the Electoral District-1 with 449 votes, is the only member to win a second term in the Jeddah Municipal Council. Abdul Aziz Al-Suraie from District-2 with 239 votes, Abdullah Al-Muhammadi from District-3 (381 votes), Khaled Bajammal from District-4 (163 votes), Fouad Murad from District–5 (71 votes), Maher Al-Harbi from District-6 (825 votes) and Abdullah Al–Turkistani from District-7 (213 votes) were the other winners.

The appeals against results will be received by a special committee from Oct. 2 until Oct. 8. Several losing candidates, who spoke to Arab News, said they would appeal citing violation of campaign regulations by the winners.

Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar announced the winners in seven electoral districts and three nearby towns. They are Sami Sabbah from District-1, Majed, Al-Matrafi from District-2, Hassan Al-Harbi from District-3, Khaled Al-Zahrani from District-4, Salem Al-Jabri from District-5, Bareek Al-Osaimi from District-6 and Ahmad Barbari from District-7 besides the winners from Asfan, Al-Jamoum and Mudreka towns.

A total of 77 members have been elected to various municipal councils in the Eastern Province, according to Eastern Province Mayor and Chairman of Provincial Municipal Elections Committee Daifallah Al-Otaiby. There was 30 percent voting in the province, where there are 56,447 registered voters, he said, adding that the voting was smooth and peaceful.

Tabuk Mayor Muhammad bin Abdul Hadi Al-Amri announced the names of 45 elected members to 13 municipal councils in the province. He said voting percentage was a little less than 50 percent, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Mayor and Chairman of the Qassim Municipal Elections Committee Ahmad bin Saleh Al-Sultan said 35,075 people voted to elect 104 members to 28 councils in the province.

Chairman of Local Municipal Elections Committee in Jazan Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Qarni said 90 members were elected from 479 candidates in the province.

Najran Mayor Faris bin Mayyah Al-Shafaq announced the list of winners of 11 seats in the province. With 13,599 people out of a total number of 25,571 registered voters casting their ballots, the voting percentage reached over 53 percent in the province, he said.

Results of elections to 12 municipal councils in Baha have also been announced. Candidates in one constituency in the Northern Border Province and three in the Eastern Province were elected unopposed. SPA reported that 15 members were declared elected to municipal councils in the Northern Border Province.