DOHA: The supervising committee for the fifth Central Municipal Council (CMC) elections has announced the polling stations and the rules and procedures for voters and candidates to be followed on the election day. The elections are scheduled to be held in May.
Independent Schools in different constituencies will be converted into polling stations. There will be 29 polling stations, one in each constituency.
The guidelines are available at the special website set up by the committee for the elections, ahead of the voter registration which begins on January 11.
The election committee will open all ballot boxes and check them before polling begins at 8am on the day in the presence of candidates or their representatives to make sure that there are no irregularities. Then the boxes will be closed and sealed.
The committee will then inform the people present about the total of number eligible voters, schedule of the elections and the number of voter IDs handed over to citizens.
At 8am the committee chairman will announce the beginning of polling. Only the registered voters in voters list will be allowed in polling stations and the voter must be present in person.
Those who have not received voters card will receive it at the time of polling.
The presence of the voter will be verified automatically at the entrance of the polling station. The voter can then go to the committee and present his/her Qatari ID and voter ID. After verification the voter will be given the ballot paper and can vote through secret ballot.
If the voter cannot do it himself for some reasons, an authorised representative of the committee will help him cast his vote after knowing his choice of the candidate. The election will be strictly through secret ballots and voters are not allowed to publicise their choice by any means.
Candidates, their representatives as well as the voters, have been banned from doing any campaigning at the polling station on the day of the election. They are also not allowed to carry any pictures or badges on their dresses or put posters and notices at the polling station promoting any candidate.
The committee chairman has the right to remove anyone from the polling station including the candidates or their representatives if the person is found to be hindering the election process or violating the rules. The chairman can ask police support if necessary.
Polling will continue until 5pm when the chairman will order closure of the gates. After that only those who are inside the polling station will be allowed to vote. The counting will take place at the same hall. The candidates or their representatives have the right to attend the counting process.The Peninsula
