MADINAH/JEDDAH, 17 April 2006 — When the deadline for filing nominations in the elections to the board of directors of the Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry passed on Saturday, 40 candidates remained in the fray. Sixteen of the candidates are industrialists and 24 are traders.
One of the leading alliances fielding candidates is “For the Cause of Taibah”. The group includes Talal Al-Luqmani, Faisal Meshari Al-Rahili, Majid Khaled Ghawth, Jamaan Al-Zahrani, Hussein Ali Al-Radadi and Zain Mansour, as well as notable media personalities Hasan Al-Sharif and Saleh Al-Suhaimi.
Candidates are using slogans such as “more employment opportunities and training for youths,” “attracting both internal and foreign investments,” “support for newcomers in the field of trade and industry,” and “better service to the visitors to the holy city.”
A source with the supervising committee confirmed to Arab News that two women might make it on the list of nominees.
Dr. Wafa Tulba, a dentist, is already approved for running after filing her papers on Wednesday and meeting all the requirements.
The second woman applied at the last minute before Saturday’s deadline. Her papers seem to be in order and most likely would be approved too, said the source.
The committee had previously rejected the applications of four women for not meeting the eligibility criteria, which include being registered as a business owner at the chamber for at least three years.
Dr. Wafa had announced that she would be running as a member of the Golden Group.
This is the preliminary list of 40 candidates. A period of two weeks is allowed for any objections to be raised before announcing a final list.
Voting take place over three days starting May 13.
“The first day is for women voters and they would be able to cast their ballots in person here at the Businesswomen’s Center. A committee will be appointed by the Ministry of Commerce to oversee the process,” said Nisreen Qattan, director of the center.
Nisreen said she intends to get the list of all women eligible to vote. She said she would contact them to inform them of the election process and encourage them to vote.
