Security plan in place for polls

Chief of Public Security, Major-General Tariq Al Hassan yesterday said that the concerned security directorates had taken all required steps to secure the upcoming parliamentary and municipal elections. The Kingdom will go to polls day after tomorrow (November 24) to elect the new parliament as well as municipal councils. The procedures are out of the legal responsibilities to protect the security and general order and to ensure the polling stations open on time to allow voters to exercise their constitutional right.

He said that as part of the directives of the Interior Minister, the Public Security Presidency had prepared a comprehensive security plan that was reviewed to ensure the highest readiness levels and seriously tackle law violations. He said the security reinforcement steps cover all vital areas and main and sub-roads leading to the polling stations, in addition to the deployment of police patrols for smooth traffic flow to facilitate the arrival of voters to the polling stations.

He said that an exercise was organised to ensure securing the movement of vehicles carrying the ballot boxes to and from the polling stations, in addition to safeguarding the polling stations, voters and candidates. The Kingdom has been holding parliamentary and municipal elections regularly every four years since 2002 following the end of a political hiatus through constitutional changes that gave women the right to vote and run in elections.

In the last elections in 2014, independents won 37 of the 40 seats in a massive blow to political groups. In 2010, only 17 independents were elected. Despite various challenges in the region, all the elections were held without delays in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.