“We will show up at the centers in Jeddah, Riyadh and the
Eastern Province and will demand voting cards,” said Enam Al-Asfour, a member
of the so-called "Baladi" ("My Town") campaign.
Registration for September's election will conclude on July
28. All adult Saudi men are eligible to vote for half of the members of each
municipal council. The other members are appointed through the Ministry of
Municipal and Rural Affairs. Those wishing to register should show their family
ID cards at the nearest registration center between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. any day
except Friday. If a voter has previously registered and his address hasn't
changed since the previous election then registration is not necessary.
"I will try to take off from work for a few hours to
register," said 25-year-old Jeddah resident Mohammed Al-Isa. "I think
it is important to vote for these elections and show support.”
Members of the Baladi campaign evidently agree, which is why
they have in the past arranged workshops to educate women on the importance of
participating in the electoral process.
According to Al-Asfour, there are two reasons some have
called for boycotting the elections.
"First because members of municipal councils do not
have power to take actions," she told Arab News. "The other factor is
because women are not participating. What we all demand is that elected
candidates do things right, and also we want women in.”
Badria Al-Bishr, a Saudi columnist at Al-Hayat newspaper,
applauded the women’s move and said that the ban "not only keeps women
away from (social) development projects but also excludes them from their
rights as citizens."
She added: “We don’t want excuses. We need solutions for the
delay in addressing women's issues, starting with the participation in
elections, having women lawyers, setting a minimum age for marriage, giving
nationality to the children of Saudi women by non-Saudi fathers, and the women-driving
issue.”
But Al-Bishr expressed doubt about whether boycotting the
elections would really help.
“We are hoping that these elections will enlighten citizens
about their role in choosing the appropriate candidates, the ones who are
qualified,” she said, adding: “It is women who need to stand up for their
rights and not wait for men to adopt their issues.”
On Thursday, Election Commissioner Abdul Rahman Al-Dahmash
told reporters during an inspection tour of Jazan’s voting centers that he
expects a large voter turnout.
There will be 855 voting centers for the Kingdom's 285
municipal councils.
