The Tatwir group led by Abdul Rahman Al-Jeraisy, the current chairman of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, won the election to the RCCI board, initial results late last night showed.
Suleiman Al-Muhaideb bagged the highest number of 2,141 votes in the list of industrialists, followed by Jeraisy 2,088, Muhammad Abu Nayyan 2,069, Ahmed Al-Rajhi 1,971, Saad Al-Moajjal 1,942 and Fahd Al-Muammar 1,832.
In the list of traders, Salah Al-Rashed got the highest number of votes (2,116), followed by Khaled Al-Muqairen 1,931, Dr Suleiman Al-Habeeb 1,915, Abdul Aziz Al-Ajlan 1,903, Abdul Aziz Al-Adel 1,871 and Nasser Almotawae 1,696 votes.
Some 90 women members voted directly for the first time in the election.
“More than 46 women voted on Tuesday with great enthusiasm,” said Asma Al-Moajil, chief of the election committee constituted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, which is entrusted with the task of looking after the women’s section.
Al-Moajil expressed her satisfaction over the successful completion of the election. RCCI has on its membership rolls 2,750 women entrepreneurs. Al-Moajil said that “this was a new experience for women. The turnout of women voters, however, was poor”.
Women, who got the right to vote directly in the RCCI poll, are not eligible to take part in the nationwide municipal elections to be held from Feb. 10.
In all, about 3,500 to 5,000 votes of businessmen and women were polled until the concluding session of the voting schedule in which many high-profile businessmen including members of the royal family came to cast their votes.
Many businessmen, who came to cast their votes yesterday, said that “it is an occasion for us to vote for those who can promote the interests of the business community”.
A voter Riyad Al-Atiqi of Saudi International Trading Company, said that “the elections of RCCI board and the municipal councils are the first steps to ensure wider participation in the governing process.”
“These elections are a major step forward for political reforms,” remarked another businessman on condition of anonymity. “I wish the winners of the RCCI elections will come to the expectations of the business community”, he said.
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