Lukewarm response to voter registration

The Kingdom has witnessed a thin voter registration at its various centers since Saturday, the first day of the month-long exercise ahead of the Dec. 12 municipal elections.
While official sources have attributed the poor turnout to the beginning of the new academic year, some citizens have expressed dissatisfaction at the performance of the elected members after winning the previous municipal elections.

“It is too early to judge because the voter registration process coincided with the beginning of the school year. And a majority of citizens had already registered their names during the two previous municipal elections,” an official at a polling center in the capital was quoted as saying by local media on Sunday.
Some citizens accused the past candidates of not fulfilling their poll promises. “I personally don’t want to get involved in the electoral process for many reasons. The vision is not clear in terms of what the candidate can do for his/her constituency,” Abdullah Al-Zahrani, a resident of Riyadh, was quoted as saying.

Mohammad bin Hassan, another resident, said the municipal council member has no powers to change anything. “The meetings held by the candidates with the residents, in addition to the monthly meetings and phone calls did not yield any results.”
Wafa Mohammad, however, sounded optimistic. She said the participation of women in the third municipal elections might make some difference.
“Women are more tolerant and have more patience. They will listen to the demands of citizens and follow up on the work.”