DOHA: The majority of candidates who won the Central Municipal Council (CMC) election held last Wednesday were sitting members of the Council.
Fifteen of the 29 candidates who made it to the CMC in its fifth term (2011-15) are sitting members who sought re-election, while the remaining 14 are new or first-timers.
The CMC poll supervisory committee told reporters late on Wednesday evening that the voter turnout was 69.8 percent, and out of the 21,735 registered voters, 14,670 exercised their franchise.
There were 109 candidates in the fray after last-minute withdrawals, and they included five women, two of whom won.
They were Sheikha Al Jefairi, a sitting member from Constituency 8 (Old Airport, Najma, Al Mansoura), and Fatima Al Kuwari from Constituency 9 (Al Thumama and Mesaimeer).
The poll supervisory committee of the interior ministry has given candidates time until 15 days after the election to file their complaints, if any.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) said in a statement that it was closely following up on the electoral process and will be issuing a detailed report soon.
The process, from registration of voters to Wednesday’s polling, was smooth, said the NHRC.
An NHRC team had monitored the electoral campaign to ensure there was no violation of relevant rules or those established in Law No. 12 of 1998 regulating the Central Municipal Council and its amendments in accordance with the principles of human rights.
The NHRC team, supported by members of the legal department, monitored the voting and counting processes to ensure that the polling and counting committees complied with the relevant international laws and standards.
QNA
