المملكة: Blocking propaganda in mosques and facilities in the campaigns of candidates for heads of crafts and professions

The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing presented a draft project of a new list aimed at organizing the elections of the heads of crafts and professions and their deputies for the two years, confirming its role in adopting the nomination of these presidents and their deputies and the possibility of canceling it in accordance with the specific controls.
This step comes within the framework of the Ministry’s endeavor to develop the crafts and professions sector and ensure an effective representation of craftsmen and professionals.
The project aims to organize the process of electing the heads of crafts and professions and their deputies, ensuring a fair representation of the owners of crafts and professions in front of the official authorities, and to support the development of professional practices to improve the quality of the services provided, monitor their business and resolve conflicts that may arise between craftsmen and professionals.

The Ministry’s accreditation

The regulations indicated that the secretariats and municipalities will take responsibility for determining the names of craft and professional sects within the scope of their supervision, after obtaining the Ministry’s accreditation, with an emphasis on the publication of these names periodically through the official websites of the secretariats and municipalities to ensure the information of all concerned.
The Secretariat or the municipality concerned with monitoring the implementation of the materials and instructions of these regulations is also concerned with ensuring adherence to them.

Conditions of the regulation

The regulation has set specific conditions for the candidates for the position of the head of the craft or the profession and his deputy, as it stipulated that the candidate be a Saudi national, a permanent residing in the city in which his activity is practiced, and that he should not be a government employee at the job.
She stressed the need for the candidate to be a actual practice of the craft or the profession for a period of no less than five years for the president and two years for the deputy, and that he has the ability to perform the duties of the position.
It is other conditions that the candidate will not be less than thirty years and not more than sixty -five years, and that he must have a minimum certificate as a minimum, while submitting a declaration not to be issued a previous ruling against his right to a crime that violates honor or honesty unless he was rehabilitated.

An electoral program

It is also required to provide a headquarters to practice the presidential work and present an electoral program for the development of the craft, with the possibility of excluding some of the candidates from the agent of age and qualified by a reasoned decision by the Secretary or the mayor.
With regard to the election mechanism, the regulation stipulates that the Secretary adopts the opening of the candidacy and announce it through the appropriate means, and a specialized supervision committee takes over requests and verifying the fulfillment of the conditions during a specified period of fifteen days, which can be extended.
The regulation confirmed that the nomination is individual, and it is not allowed to agree on electoral lists, and the Secretariat shall assign the candidates fairly.

Sorting

The votes are sorted and the winner of the majority is announced, and in the event of equal, the highest is qualified and then a lot is made, and if only one candidate is considered a winner of acclamation. The names of the Ministry’s winners will be raised for approval.
The voting process is carried out through the polls or modern technical means, and each voter has only one vote.
The regulations specified the period of the presidential session or the prosecution by four years starting from the date of the candidate’s approval, with the possibility of an extension for an additional year based on the performance evaluation and the approval of the ministry, and the president and his deputy may run for successive periods if they meet the required conditions.

Dispute

The regulations clarified the competencies of the heads of crafts and their deputies, which include the representation of members in front of the official authorities, the resolution of conflicts, the field supervision, the support of the members in issuing licenses and developing their skills, and submitting periodic reports of the secretariat.
To ensure the integrity of the electoral process, the regulations prohibited the candidates to violate public order, or the use of public facilities and places of worship or television channels for electoral advertising purposes.

Specialized committees

It stipulated the formation of specialized committees; The first to oversee the elections and the second to consider the appeals and complaints submitted by the candidates within five working days of the announcement of the results, with a period of thirty working days to decide on the appeals.
The victim is entitled to grievance before the administrative courts within sixty days of informing him of the decision of the Appeals Committee. It is scheduled to start working with this list after ninety days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette, and cancel all the previous decisions that contradict it.