DAMMAM, 18 March — Businessmen in the Eastern Province went to the polls yesterday to elect members for the new board of directors of the region’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. According to chamber officials supervising the election, the turnout was moderate.
Results are expected tomorrow.
The businessmen voted to elect 12 new members, six each from the industrial and trading sectors. The ministries of commerce and industry will nominate another six members to fill the quorum of 18 members. In all, 20 candidates were competing for the 12 seats.
The poll was held on the basis of the preferential voting system. There are 10,900 registered voters, and observers estimate that nearly 30 percent of them voted.
The polling was done in two phases, and ballot boxes were sealed after 7 p.m. They are being kept in safe custody and will be opened for counting in the presence of observers elected by the contestants, as well as representatives of the ministries.
Turnout was low in the morning, but by 11 a.m. voting started to pick up momentum. Before the first phase was over at noon, a big queue was seen at the polling booths. The second phase also started inauspiciously but by 5 p.m. voting again picked up and by the close of the voting volunteers working for many candidates managed to ferry voters to the chamber to cast their votes.
It was more like a festive mood around the chamber, and the proceedings were completely void of tension and bitterness. Even the rival candidates were seen wishing each other success.
“The election is being contested in a very healthy spirit,” said prominent businessman Ibrahim Al-Jomaih, a candidate. “At the end of the day, we are all one single body and no one holds any ill will toward anyone,” he said.
Unlike in past elections, this year only one group — Ta’awun — fielded 12 candidates. The rest of the contestants were independents. Most of the candidates in the Ta’awun list are members of the outgoing board. Among the independents, all are new aspirants.
Business circles feel that the Ta’awun group will gain a landslide victory and the chances are that all its 12 candidates will be elected.
