JEDDAH: The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has set up 343 electoral constituencies for the Dec. 12 municipal council elections.
This was done on the orders of Abdullatif Al-Sheikh, the minister and head of the General Committee for the Municipal Elections, said Abdullah Al-Mansour, deputy secretary general for municipal council affairs.
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said there would be two constituencies each formed in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, and the Eastern Province. Eight would be set up for the municipalities of Taif and Al-Ahsa, and one each for the remaining municipalities.
The ministry also decided to allow voters to choose 20 members, or two-thirds of the councils in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and the Eastern Province. The minister would appoint members for the remaining one-third.
There would be 16 elected members each on the councils of Taif and Al-Ahsa, or two-thirds of the total seats. The remaining eight seats will be determined by the ministry.
The municipal elections will be held between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Dec. 12 with the results announced the following day. Voters can register between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. from Aug. 22 to Sept. 14. Candidates can do so from Aug. 30 to Sept. 17.
Preliminary lists of candidates will be published on Sept. 30 while the last date for withdrawal is Nov. 19, when the final list of candidates will be announced.
