MADINAH, 5 April 2005 — Some Madinah residents are scratching their heads after viewing the preliminary candidate roster for the upcoming municipal election because they have no idea who the candidates are.
In fact, the lack of well-known names on the list is dimming some people’s enthusiasm about voting for Mr. Who’s-its? or Mr. What’s-his-name? It’s also going to be tough for candidates trying to stand out in the crowd and might prompt some to consider forming coalitions to guarantee a large number of voters.
Ghaith Muhammad, a Madinah voter, said that the early list of candidates was not convincing. He said that he hoped to see some notable Madinah residents on the list.
“I am waiting for the final list of names to be issued,” Muhammad said. “I am also going to attend the candidates campaign rallies to see what type of promises they’re making. The most important thing is to look at the personal information of the candidate to see how well educated he is because that shows whether he can keep his promises.”
If you can just remember who’s who. “I was very excited to get the voter’s card and to participate in the election experience,” said Muhammad Abdul Raheem. “After I saw the names of people on the candidates list, I don’t think that I’ll participate in the election. I, along with many other people, hoped that well-known people would run in election. As for the current names on the list, I hope that they would realize the importance of the responsibility they will face when they are elected.”
Compared to some nations, Saudi Arabia has relatively few last names. It may not hurt a candidate to come from a big tribe.
“I’m not waiting to hear a candidate’s promises because I will vote for a candidate from our tribe,” said Bandar Al-Oufi. “To be honest with you, I won’t vote for candidates other than our relatives, even if they have a better program. My vote is already determined.”
One benefit for the Madinah elections is that the Kingdom already is developing some experience from the earlier balloting in Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
Talal Al-Saadi urged candidates to avoid mistakes that happened in the earlier rounds. He said that candidates should make sure that people’s election knowledge is good before they announce their platforms and that votes cast should be based on the candidate’s ability to make a difference.
“Although there are not that many well-known names on the candidate list, I hope that people will participate in the election and make this a successful experience,” Al-Saadi said.
