Losing candidates to contest results
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – Losing candidates in Saudi Arabia’s first regular election said Saturday they would contest the results, and accused the winners of violating electoral law and unfairly claiming support of Islamic clerics. Candidates challenging the results of Thursday’s landmark municipal elections said the names of the seven winning candidates in the capital, Riyadh, were circulated together on a list – a move they said violated an electoral law forbidding the formation of coalitions. The winners also unfairly claimed they had religious backing, disgruntled candidates said.
The list with the names of the seven winners, whom local newspapers characterized as Islamists, was circulated on the Internet and by telephone text messages a few days before the vote, losing candidate Hezam al-Otaibi said.
The seven “used religion in the game,” al-Otaibi said. “Of course they knew the messages were going around. We’re not idiots,” he said.
At least one of the winning candidates dismissed allegations of wrongdoing.
Dozens of candidates among the 640 who ran said they plan to contest the results in the next few days. Some called for investigations into whether the elections commission or the winning candidates knew the list had been circulated before the vote.
Saudi’s municipal elections are being held in three stages. Thursday’s first stage was for half the country’s municipal councils, with voting in other regions scheduled for March and April. Only men were allowed to vote, and balloting was confined to the capital, Riyadh, and adjacent districts.
Many Saudis see the elections as a modest step toward democracy – voters will elect only half the local councils, while the other half will be appointed. Still others see the polls as a remarkable development in a country ruled by an absolute monarchy and where any talk of participation in decision-making used to be taboo.
The poll results were announced Friday, but the elections commission did not release the number of votes each candidate received.
One of the seven winning candidates in Riyadh, Tareq Kassabi, dismissed allegations his victory was based on support from religious circles.
“All Saudi people are naturally religious,” said Kassabi. “We do not belong to any religious entity, especially to extremists or those who sympathize with them.”
Kassabi also denied any coordination among the winners, saying “everyone knows that alliances in the election were illegal.”
Economist Bishr Bakheet, a losing candidate, praised the dedication of election officials, but added: “It is difficult to say who won and to what extent, since 48 hours after elections and a day after the winners have been announced there still are no figures.”
In districts around Riyadh, victory went to candidates mostly from tribes and large families.
The composition of the councils remains uncertain. The government will appoint half the members, and in the case of Riyadh’s council, could moderate the body by choosing liberal councilmen.
Only 149,000 out of 600,000 eligible voters registered in Riyadh, which could have given disproportionate influence to Islamic-leaning voters highly motivated to participate, analysts said.
Some losing candidates said if the elections result in conservative representatives, appointments would have been better.
Defeated candidate Abdul-Rahman al-Humaidi said he was “quite upset” by the victory of the Islamists.
“If they win in the next two stages, it would mean that moderates like me would be marginalized and the Islamists would impose their trends on people’s lives,” said al-Humaidi, who does not plan to appeal.
“Let’s forget about elections if these people are going to win,” the pro-reform university professor added. “Let’s have appointments.”
Others, like tribal leader Saad al-Qahtani who spent $750 million on his campaign, said his candidacy had helped his business interests.
“The campaign gave me so much exposure, I’m getting orders for my business from outside the kingdom,” said al-Qahtani, who owns medical centers and a drug factory.
“I consider that a glowing success.”
Other losing candidates said they didn’t care about irregularities because they had had an unprecedented opportunity to participate in government.
“It was a beautiful experience. We made history. Running and voting was a dream come true,” said businessman Mohammed al-Amari.