JEDDAH, 8 February 2005 — Would-be voters in the Western Province can move a step closer to the ballot box now that election centers have opened throughout the region to begin registration for the polls.
The centers opened yesterday in Jeddah and five other cities, active and ready, in preparation for upcoming voter registration and municipal elections. So far there are 61 centers spread across six major towns and cities in the region.
The Jeddah Municipal Election Committee has determined the exact locations of the election centers of the municipal councils that are all part of the Makkah Region including two election centers in Rabigh — one in the municipality building and a municipality branch in Hijr.
In Qunfuda, there are three election centers: one in Al-Hussein ibn Ali High School, Sabt Al-Jarrah Center and Al-Farouq High School in Muthaileef.
In Khulais, there are two election centers: One each in Khulais High School and Al-Madain High School in Thabiya.
The Local Supervisory Committee for Municipal Council Elections has set an open meeting at 8.15 p.m. Saturday. It will be at Al-Sultana Hall in the Jeddah Inter.Continental Hotel and includes a lecture by Shoura Council member Muhammad Abdulkareem Bakr.
“The first aim of the lecture is to explain the role of the municipal council,” said Bakr. “Second, it is to explain the significance of the council’s mission in citizens’ lives.
“Another aim is to speak about the advantages Jeddah would gain from citizen participation through voting, with the most important benefit being the development of services.”
Bakr’s lecture will be followed by a presentation from Osama Aba Al-Khail, a member of the Local Supervisory Committee for Municipal Council Elections. The presentation focuses on the distribution of election centers throughout the region and procedures for candidate registration.
The meeting concludes with a question-and-answer session and an open discussion period for all participants.
Jeddah Mayor Abdullah Al-Muallami has urged all citizens to take part in the meeting.
