Are you paying attention, Hosni? *spit* (h/t to Matt, heh)
In the desert, no less...
*snicker*
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| Arabia |
| Campaigning starts for Saudi Arabia's first polls |
| 2005-01-30 |
| The countdown to Saudi Arabia's first nationwide elections began with the launch of campaigning for February 10 municipal polls in and around the capital. Local newspapers carried a wide range of appeals to voters in Riyadh and neighbouring regions, who will be electing half of the members of 38 municipal councils in the first round of the three-stage ballot. A total of 1,818 candidates are running, 646 of whom are competing for the seven seats in the capital's council, the official SPA news agency reported. These seven seats represent seven separate constituencies, of which the eastern constituency of Al-Nassim alone attracted 118 candidates for a single seat, SPA said. "Your vote = Easy housing and clean environment", said one campaign advertisement spread over two pages in Al-Jazirah daily by one candidate standing in the capital. Candidates are permitted to place advertisements in the print media and set up campaign centres in private function halls. But they are not allowed to campaign on radio or television or establish campaign headquarters in government buildings, embassies, or mosques, according to a list of do's and don'ts for the campaign, reported by Al-Jazirah. The daily said that candidates were also banned from using pictures of public figures in their electoral publicity but other newspapers carried advertisements featuring pictures of King Fahd and other royals. "I would like to congratulate our wise government ... for deciding to hold municipal elections," said one campaigner in an advertisement that took up a full page in Al-Riyadh daily, displaying his picture below those of ruling family members. Government bodies or companies that are partly owned by the public sector are not allowed to offer financial or moral support to candidates, or act in a manner that might affect the outcome of the ballot, the list said. The elections in the capital and neighbouring regions are the first of three rounds of local polls that will eventually see elected representatives take up half of the seats on 178 municipal councils across Saudi Arabia. Voting in the Eastern Province and the southwest is set for March 3. Electors in the western regions of Mecca and Medina, and the north, will not be casting their ballots until April 21. Women, who represent more than 50 percent of the population, were banned from participating in the election, despite neutral rules that say citizens over 21 years of age, except military personnel, have the right to vote. Saudi leaders promised in October 2003 to organise elections within a year, but a campaign of violence by suspected Al-Qaeda militants had raised doubts as to whether the timetable would be maintained. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #1 *snicker* Are you paying attention, Hosni? *spit* (h/t to Matt, heh) In the desert, no less... *snicker* |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-30 4:28:15 PM |