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Saudi Gazette - http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150823254196
Saudi Arabia – Women Register to Vote in Nationwide Municipal Council Elections for the First Time
August
22, 2015 – RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Citizens all over the Kingdom except the two
holy cities of Makkah and Madinah on Saturday started registering to vote in
the nationwide municipal council elections in December.
A source from the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs said the registration
process would continue for 21 days. Candidate registration will start on Aug.
30 in all regions except in Makkah and Madinah, where the process will begin on
Sunday.
Women are registering to vote in the elections for the first time in the
history of Saudi Arabia.
In 2011, King Abdullah issued a royal order granting women the right to participate
as voters and candidates in the 2015 elections, the third in the history of the
Kingdom.
The registration process in Makkah and Madinah started a week earlier in
anticipation of logistics problems resulting from the influx of pilgrims to the
two holy cities for the upcoming Haj.
“There are 1,263 election centers in all regions and provinces of the Kingdom —
839 of the centers are for men, 424 centers for women," the source said,
adding that 250 centers are set aside as reserves and will open if needed. The
third phase started earlier in Makkah and Madinah and is still ongoing,” said
the source.
“The centers will be open six days a week from Saturday to Thursday for five
hours each day. To register to vote, citizens must be 18 years old, should not
have any criminal records and must be a resident in the city where they are
registered,” said the source.
The source also said citizens wishing to register must produce their national
IDs and proof of residence.
“The proof of residence could be a copy of a house ownership deed, a copy of a
rent agreement authenticated by the district mayor or the police, a copy of a
utility bill where the citizen’s name and residence location is stated clearly,
an official statement from the employer stating the citizen’s location of
residence authenticated by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry if the citizen
works in the private sector and a copy of the family ID,” explained the source.
The source also said citizens must also present documentations of the people
they are residing with if they are not residing alone.
“Citizens can search for the nearest election center by visiting the website http://www.intekhab.gov.sa and then clicking
on map of election centers. The user can then choose from the drop-down list
the election committee of his city,” said the source.
The source also said citizens can download the app Intekhab available for IOS
and Android.
“The app has all of the services available on the website in addition to the
voters profile once they register. Citizens can also call 199040 to
inquire about the elections and the registration process. Voters can also text 500103
followed by *1* and the voter’s ID number to receive information on the
voter’s status,” said the source.
The elections will take place on Dec. 12 and the results will be announced the
next day.