The three female candidates who failed to win places on the board of directors at the recent Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry elections have blamed their failure on a “lack of experience and a poor voter turnout from women”. “Among the other main factors is the big difference between male and female candidates in terms of financial resources and contacts,” they said. “The male candidates went into the elections in a position of great strength and got what they wanted,” said Su'aad Al-Zayedi. “We need to set up a high committee for the next elections to oversee each step of the election process and check the behavior of candidates during the election campaign in the way they gather voters.” According to Dina Al-Faris, the “lack of experience and insufficient awareness of election culture were the two main reasons behind the failure of the women candidates,” while Fawzia Al-Karri urged the Minister of Trade and Industry to give women their chance via the six remaining seats on the board to be filled by his nomination. “It's very important to give women the chance to sit on the board via nomination, and if it's not to be one of us three who are appointed then I hope that a representation is offered to some other woman,” Al