News

117,797 Jeddawis to vote at 109 polling stations

Dec 11 2015
Saudi Arabia
Source: 
Arab News

JEDDAH: All preparations have been completed for the municipal elections in Jeddah on Saturday.
This is according to Hani Abu Ras, the city’s mayor and head of the local elections committee, who said voting would take place at 109 election centers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Abu Ras urged the 113,204 male voters and 4,593 female voters in Jeddah to exercise their right to select the best candidate for the municipal council, to help improve services in the city and surrounding areas, said a media report on Thursday.

Campaign ends for first Saudi vote with women participation

Dec 11 2015
Saudi Arabia
Source: 
Saudi Gazette

THE first Saudi election campaign open to women ended on Thursday but voters see little chance of a breakthrough for female candidates.

More than 900 women, along with some 6,000 men, are seeking seats on 284 municipal councils whose powers are restricted to local affairs including streets, public gardens and rubbish collection.

The vote has been hailed as a step forward. But many voters said tribal allegiances — rather than a candidate’s gender — would be a big factor in the ballot.

Education and public speaking skills were key for FNC voters, study finds

Dec 11 2015
United Arab Emirates
Source: 
The National

ABU DHABI // Oration, education and the electoral campaign of a candidate were the major influences on who Emiratis voted for in the recent FNC elections, a study shows.

The report, How do Emirati Voters Determine for Whom to Vote in FNC Elections? by UAE University professors Abdulfattah Yaghi and Osman Antwi-Boateng, questioned 1,800 Emirati voters, out of which 1,518 results were assessed.

About 86 per cent of the interviewed sample considered a candidate’s speechmaking skills as a major factor in their appeal.

Election delay widens govt-masses gap, say MPs

Dec 08 2015
Afghanistan
Source: 
Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok):  Some senators on Tuesday renewed their call for the government to announce dates for holding parliamentary and district council elections and asked President Ghani to highlight Pakistan’s support for terrorism in the ‘Heart of Asia Conference.’

Heart of Asia Conference - Istanbul Process

The Istanbul Ministerial Process was established in 2011 to provide a platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbours.

South Punjab : PML-N rides the victory wave, Peoples Party surprises many

Dec 07 2015
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune
MULTAN/BAHAWALPUR: 

Most predictions and analyses had suggested that the seven south Punjab districts that went to the polls on Saturday would prove a point of departure from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-dominated north. The unofficial election results, however, suggest otherwise. 

Jhang district : Independents have field day

Dec 07 2015
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune

FAISALABAD: Independent candidates had a field day in Jhang as they polled the highest number of seats in the district council and three of the five municipal committees.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz secured a simple majority in Jhang, Garh Maharaja and Ahmedpur Sial municipal committees.

Independents were elected on chairmen and vice-chairmen panels in 75 of the 91 seats in the district council. The remaining 16 seats were won by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Scuffle: 15 injured in post-election clashes in Jhang

Dec 07 2015
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune
FAISALABAD: 

As many as 12 people were injured in clashes following the election in wards 18 and 30 of Jhang municipal committee late Sunday night.

Heavy police contingents reached the sites and took in custody at least 13 people in a search operation in the two wards.

Witnesses in ward-18 (Mohallah Noorul Sadaat) said that clashes broke out between supporters of PML-N and PTI a few minutes after the announcement of PML-N candidate Zahid Parvaiz Lala’s victory in the election.

Come, be part of electoral process, citizens urged

Dec 07 2015
United Arab Emirates
Source: 
Khaleej Times

Emiratis eligible to vote for the upcoming Sharjah Consultative Council (SCC) elections have been urged to register at the Sharjah Municipality and other centres in their electoral zones.

The registration process for the SCC elections began on Sunday at the Sharjah Municipality.

Khalid Al Midfa, head of the Media Committee for SCC elections, said six registration centres have been set up in the Sharjah City. In addition, registration centres have been set up in the Dhaid, Khor Fakkan, Kalba, Dibba Al Hisn, Hamriya, Maliha, Madam and Al Bataeh areas.

Registration steady for Sharjah Consultative Council elections

Dec 06 2015
United Arab Emirates
Source: 
The National

SHARJAH // Emiratis turned out in numbers on the first day of voting registration for next year’s Sharjah Consultative Council elections.

Staff at registrations centres across the emirate reported a steady flow of citizens keen to give their details, a requirement to take part in next month’s elections.

In June, Sharjah’s Ruler, Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, announced that half of the 42-seat council would be elected by citizens, with the rest appointed.

Final phase of elections: ECP rule violations mar Rawalpindi polls

Dec 06 2015
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune
RAWALPINDI / ISLAMABAD: 

The third and final phase of local government elections in Rawalpindi on Saturday saw a high voter turnout, especially in less-developed constituencies of the city, only to be stained by couple of unpleasant incidents one involving a murder and another a clash between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters in Union Council (UC)-78 that left two injured, as well as serious violations of the election commission’s code of conduct.

Christian candidate wants to prove minorities are electable

Dec 06 2015
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD: The election for the chairmanship of Union Council (UC) 16 in Rawalpindi has been deferred for 15 days due to the death of a candidate.

The UC stands out in Rawalpindi as the only one where a Christian is running for chairmanship.

The candidate — Sohail Ishtiaq — is in fact the only non-Muslim in the race for chairmanship of a UC in Rawalpindi. Ishtiaq told The Express Tribune that elections for the top slot have been postponed, but the rest of the panel is contesting for lower seats as scheduled.

PML-N scores hat-trick in Punjab LG polls

Dec 06 2015
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune
RAWALPINDI / LAHORE: 

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has scored a hat-trick with an apparent lead in the third and final phase of the local government elections in Punjab on Saturday.

Consolidated with its wins in the previous two stages of the LG polls, the PML-N has maintained its dominance over the province. Unofficial and unconfirmed results of the third phase received until 1am put the ruling party ahead of the pack with 560 seats of the union council chairman, closely followed by independent candidates with 513 wins.

Mission accomplished: CEC content with ‘better than before’ elections

Dec 06 2015
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune
ISLAMABAD: 

An hour after voting ended for the third phase of local government elections on Saturday, the chief election commissioner (CEC) expressed satisfaction with the overall exercise and termed the polls ‘better than any previous elections’.

Twelve districts of Punjab and six in Karachi went for polls in the final phase which started at 7.30am and culminated at around 5.30pm without any break.

Biometric ID cards to be used during presidential elections in 2017

Dec 04 2015
Kyrgyzstan
Source: 
24 News Agency

Biometric ID cards will be used for identification of citizens during presidential election in 2017 in Kyrgyzstan. Deputy Chairman of the State Registration Service Dastan Dogoev said today at a meeting of the Social Democratic Party parliamentary faction.

According to him, system development concept has been worked out to develop a system for creation of a single population register. It is proposed to create a single centralized electronic data system which the state bodies can use.

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