DOHA: The Advisory Council wants the polling time for the upcoming Central Municipal Council (CMC) election to be extended for two hours due to traffic jams in Doha and its outskirts.
According to the law that regulates CMC election, polling is to be held on the day of the election for nine hours, from 8am until 5pm.
The law is being amended and its draft is ready. The Advisory Council yesterday proposed further amendment to an article of this draft (law) to extend the timing of the poll by two hours, from 8am until 7pm. The Council reasoned that an extra two hours be allowed to eligible voters to reach their respective polling booths in view of traffic jams on most roads as people generally leave their homes only after 4pm.
The Council proposed an amendment to another article of the draft law according to which the deadline for filing nomination in a (CMC) constituency is urged to be extended by three days from the original date if no candidate from that constituency has come forward and filed nomination to contest the CMC election.
The deadline for filing the nomination is proposed to be extended by three days also keeping in mind that in any of the 29 constituencies some emergency situation can arrive which can merit postponement of the deadline.
The draft law that seeks to regulate the election of the CMC, which has 29 members and whose terms is four years, has 48 articles divided into seven chapters.
Other provisions of the draft suggest that eligible candidates should be allowed to file their nomination 45 days before the election is due. In case one’s candidature is rejected he should be allowed to request a review by the CMC election committee within seven days.
Candidates should be permitted to withdraw their nomination seven days before the election. Ministers, defense personnel, members of judiciary, diplomats and administrative officials are not eligible to contest the CMC election.
Earlier, during a debate on the draft, some members of the council said those contesting the
CMC election should be allowed to canvass using the Internet and social media since they are
effective yet cheaper means of reaching out to the electorate compared to newspapers.
A member, Rashid Al Medadi,
said there is no need to make such a proposal via an amendment to the draft law since the
use of the Internet and social media for canvassing is not barred by the draft. The draft
law has been referred by the council back to the Cabinet. THE PENINSULA
The Peninsula
