DHULUM: The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has decided not to monitor the coming municipal elections in protest against the exclusion of women from voting and standing as candidates and because the functions of councils have not been clearly defined. In a statement, the NSHR said the organization will not participate because “the work mechanism of municipal councils was not developed” and for “not enabling some segments of society to participate in the elections”. This is a reference to women, which is an issue the NSHR has raised in previous reports. The NSHR said it has received an invitation from the General Election Committee to take part in monitoring the election process after coordination with relevant bodies. The NSHR said all citizens must be allowed to elect their representatives and municipal councils must be given more authority to accomplish the goals for which they have been established. The NSHR said it supports the elections and that its offices will be open to receive any complaints or grievances related to human rights. The role of the NSHR is to receive, verify and follow-up on complaints, he added. Judai'a Al-Qahtani, spokesman for the Municipal Elections, said the General Election Committee “invited several civil society [organizations] including the NSHR to participate in monitoring the elections”. He said the NSHR participated in the last elections and “we hope it participates in the current one”. He said the committee has not received a response to the invitation, and added that all measures will be taken to facilitate the work of monitoring bodies. On not having clearly defined functions, he said the work of the councils is new and requires constant improvement. He said work has been carried out on making the councils effective. This includes studies and workshops, and drawing on the expertise of local and foreign experts. Council members have also received regular instructions and circulars from the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs to help with their work. He added that women have the right to participate but this could only happen if preparations are made to accommodate them at the 285 municipalities and 855 voting centers.
