Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs reported it will only employ Saudis to organize the upcoming election campaigns, Al-Watan reported. Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs City Councils Director Jadie Al-Qahtani said the directorate has employed foreigners during its first phase in the election campaign to benefit from their experience. “Elections are gaining popularity in our society. We decided to learn and benefit from foreign experiences in the field of city council elections in the first stage of the upcoming elections. We did not employ any foreigner in the second phase and we have decided to employ only Saudis in the third phase as well,” said Al-Qahtani. He added we are employing 35,000 Saudis to organize and run the election process in its third phase. “All employees and committee members are trained and prepared to take on the various responsibilities bestowed on them. I am confident that all of the employees are capable of doing a great job and succeeding in the next phase. During the second phase, we had 16,000 Saudis in the organizing committees who have a great job that made the country proud,” said Al-Qahtani. He also said even our trainers are all Saudis as there are a total of 120 men and women trainers training the new employees. “Although elections are a new phenomenon to the Saudi society, the Kingdom has a total of 285 city councils and 1,236 election centers. These numbers are impressive for a country new to elections. However, Saudis have welcomed the idea and encouraged it,” said Al-Qahtani. He added the Kingdom has big cities and small towns and city councils are widely spread in all its provinces. “By employing Saudis, we will empower the spirit of national unity and increase the social solidarity in our society,” said Al-Qahtani.
