DHULAM: Observers will attend the entire municipal election process and licensed members of the media will be permitted to enter polling stations, sources on the elections committees have said. The sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the observers would be permitted to attend “all stages of the election process”. The 2007 report by the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) on the previous municipality elections described the event as an “important first step towards extending participation” but added that popular enthusiasm was low due to the “limited jurisdiction of the municipality councils and the elections being restricted to half the council seats”. The report noted however that electoral blocks were banned and that election campaigns were conducted on an individual basis. It noted that some candidates made use of modern technology such as mobile telephones and the Internet in their campaigns. The NSHR said that despite the limited turnout, the results of voting confirmed the “readiness” of the public to use their right to vote as civil citizens without regard for tribal affiliation. It said that the move should be extended to all councils. The report also noted the cooperation of government bodies in the work of the NSHR and praised the transparency of the election process. Last week it was announced that women will not be allowed to run as candidates or vote in this year's elections, scheduled to begin on April 23, Abdul Rahman Al-Dhamash, head of the municipal council elections committee, told the press that the reason was due to a “lack of preparations”, but added that women's involvement has “not been ruled for future ballots”. Their involvement, Al-Dhamash said, depends on “preparations and facilities”. “The election process has to be transparent and extremely sensitive and all requirements must be subjected to monitoring,” he said. “That's why there are international standards and specifications governing the process.” Asked if observers could be involved in the election process, Al-Dhamash said that no such request had been received. “But there will be civil authorities taking part in monitoring,” he said.
