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THREE WOMEN IN QATARI MUNICIPAL ELECTION FRAY

Arab News - April 1, 2007 Qataris will exercise their franchise today to elect their representatives to the Central Municipal Council (CMC). Some 28,153 Qataris, both men and women, are eligible to vote in the third municipal elections that feature 118 candidates, including three women for 29-seats. A special Arrayah tent has been pitched for 20 days to allow candidates to address the public and explain to them how they intend to serve their best interests and, how best they might help improve the standards of services rendered to them. The first ever municipal election was held by the state of Qatar on March 8, 1999, when eligible voters numbered 25,017. None of the six women, who contested the elections, was voted into the 29-seat CMC, although full suffrage rights were granted to both genders. Four years later the second round of municipal polls was held and one woman won a seat in the council. The election held on April 7, 2003 was contested by 84 candidates and the number of eligible voters stood at 24,218. At the end of their three-week long campaigning for the polls, the contestants are hoping that there would be a large turnout. Some are taking steps to ensure maximum voter turnout. Most candidates, however, privately admit that considering the response they have been getting from the electorate, a higher voter turnout is not likely. Although the government has declared a holiday today, many are likely to go vacationing to neighboring countries. Another reason given for a possible low turnout is that several candidates had made promises during the last CMC election which they have not been able to fulfill. However, some candidates feel that since a large number of fresh voters had come forward to register their names in the electoral list, the turnout may be above average, if not high.

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