The voter registration phase for the municipal elections (Phase 3) has begun in all regions of the Kingdom, including the city of Riyadh and its governorates, where the number of male and female voters who registered at polling stations reached approximately 1,637, according to statistics from the Local Committee for Municipal Elections in the region.
Candidates are competing for (2,106) seats for elected municipal council members across all regions of the Kingdom. The election committees have set up approximately 1,263 polling stations spread geographically across the Kingdom’s various cities and provinces.
Riyadh Elections
The Riyadh region and its provinces the most prominent in terms of electoral activity, as the period for voter registration and data updates began on 7/11/1436 and continues until 01/12/1436 AH, corresponding to 22/8/2015 and through September 14, 2015, while the candidate registration period begins on November 15,1436 AH and runs through December 4, 1436 AH corresponding to August 30, 2015, through September 17, 2015. Voting will begin on Saturday, March 1, 1436 AH, corresponding to December 12, 2015.
Smart App
The number of registered voters in Riyadh since the start of the third election cycle has reached approximately 7,361 voters, including 6,492 male voters and 869 female voters as of last week.
In keeping with the spirit of the modern age and to facilitate the municipal election process, the Local Committee for Municipal Elections in the Riyadh region has launched a special app for Android smartphones and soon for «iPhone,» called «Municipal Elections 1436 AH» which helps users access all information related to the municipal elections.
The app contains information explaining the concept and stages of the electoral process, as well as details on polling places for voters and candidate registration centers, along with some e-services such as a feature to locate the nearest polling place, The app also allows users to access the locations of polling stations and electoral districts via Google Maps.
The Commission has also dedicated a section within the app to a library of photos, documents, and news, as well as interactive services for assistance and inquiries, such as SMS alerts, a mailing list, and a section for publications and documents related to municipal elections.
It should be noted that the app will be developed in several phases to ensure it provides as many services as possible to facilitate the participation of voters and candidates in the municipal elections.
Strong Competition Expected
Many observers have predicted that the third round of municipal elections will see an increase in the number of citizens wishing to participate and compete for the approximately 2,106 elected seats, in addition to many other developments, notably the expansion of the councils" powers, as well as the fact that lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 will boost participation opportunities, including women’s participation.
Election Monitoring
For its part, the General Committee for Municipal Elections welcomed cooperation with independent (non-governmental) national institutions and associations that are not-for-profit to participate in election monitoring, expressing its readiness to provide all necessary facilities for them to carry out their role.
The official spokesperson for the municipal council elections, Engineer Jadai bin Nahar Al-Qahtani, explained that the Municipal Councils Law stipulates that independent national non-governmental organizations are entitled to monitor the elections, noting that the law does not address international civil society organizations or United Nations agencies, given that municipal elections are, ultimately, local elections.
In this context, he noted that Article (24) of the Municipal Councils Law stipulates "that independent, non-governmental, non-profit national organizations and associations have the right to independently monitor the implementation of election procedures.
Women and Elections
Women participated in the current election cycle as both voters and candidates, enabling them to nominate and elect those they believe are capable of improving municipal services in their regions, 424 polling stations out of a total of 1,263 were designated for women across the Kingdom’s cities and provinces, and local election committees were formed in all regions.
