DOHA: At least 18 contestants have withdrawn their candidature from the Central Municipal Council (CMC) election leaving a total of 118 aspirants in the fray, five of them women.
The election will be held on May 13 and voters will be allowed to authorise others to vote on their behalf provided they are also registered as voters in the same constituency.
The CMC has 29 seats but the election will be held only for 26 as there are single contestants in three wards who have technically won in the absence of challengers.
These candidates are the sitting members and they are namely, Jassem Abdullah Al Malki, from constituency number 1, Rabia Al Kaabi, from constituency 27, and Saeed Mubarak Al Rashidi, from constituency 28.
Voters who want to name a proxy to vote on their behalf must fill up a form in their respective constituencies by today while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is also today.
Polling will take place from 8am until 5pm on May 13 at designated booths in all the 26 constituencies and the head of the local poll supervisory committee will have the right to extend the timing of the voting if the need be.
There will be a half-hour recess during the nine-hour voting time for lunch and prayers.
Ballot papers and voter cards have all been printed and stamps arranged. In case there is a tie between two candidates in a constituency, the winner will be decided by the chairman of the local poll panel through raffle.
The Peninsula
