Five years ago, Saudi Arabia ventured into a new area: municipal councils comprised of both elected and appointed officers who would serve four-year terms and be responsible for municipal direction. The effort did not fare well. First off, women were not permitted to either vote or hold positions on the councils. Second, the roles the councils and their members would play was never clearly defined. The next cycle of elections was postponed and we’re now seeing council members in their fifth year of office.

Saudi Gazette/Okaz report that new laws are being drafted concerning the councils and elections. Notably, women are not excluded from the list of voters—though in Saudi Arabia, this does not mean that they will not be stopped from participating. There’s no law that prohibits women’s driving, after all.

Still, the draft laws do appear to grant more authority and autonomy to the councils. I think this a prerequisite to effective civil governance. If the councils serve as no more than figurehead or bookmark offices, then they have no utility beyond the minor one of providing jobs to a few hundred people. If, however, the councils gain authority and concomitant responsibility for their actions, then they will serve an important role in defining the future of representative government in the Kingdom.

Prison and fines for vote-rigging and bribes
Mit’eb Al-Awwad and Thamer Gamgoom

HAIL/AR’AR – A draft law was tabled here Saturday that seeks to completely overhaul the powers and functions of the Kingdom’s 179 municipal councils, including harsh penalties for vote rigging and other violations and an increased emphasis on public accountability.

The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has sent the draft law to all council members across the country for their input. The document is expected to be discussed behind closed doors in preparation for submission to the ministry and then final approval by the Council of Ministers.

The proposed legislation consists of 38 articles dealing with the formation of municipal councils, accountability to the public, electoral processes, its powers and functions and penalties for offenders.

The law stipulates a jail penalty and a fine for those who buy votes and give gifts to gain influence. The articles bar judges, notaries public and investors from being nominated for positions on councils because of a possible conflict of interest. One of the articles bars the mayors of the regions and the heads of municipalities from becoming chairmen or acting chairmen of municipal councils and bans them from voting on any decisions taken by councils.

One of the most prominent features of the law is the proposal to grant greater autonomy and independence to municipal councils, so that they can carry out their supervisory role more effectively.
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