EC unable to place ballot box in Riyadh due to visa difficulties

Elections Commission has said that they will not be able to place a ballot box in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia if they are required to conduct polling on Saturday, due to difficulties in obtaining visas for elections officials.

When asked if they will still make arrangements in Riyadh when Supreme Court gives the go-ahead, Elections Commission’s Secretary General Asim Abdul Sattar said that they will not be able to place a box in Riyadh by Saturday, but said that they “have not made a decision yet.”

EC decided to place a ballot box in Riyadh to facilitate voting for about 800 Hajj pilgrims who will be in Saudi Arabia on the 28th of September. However, Hajj groups arranging the pilgrimage have stated that a large portion of the pilgrims will not be able to stay in Riyadh on the 28th.

“We are saying that we cannot place a ballot box in Saudi if we have to conduct the second round of the 28th, because visas could not be arranged for the elections officials,” Asim said.

He said that according to the latest information, all attempts to obtain visas for elections officials had failed by as late as 1:00 p.m. today. However, it is not yet clear if the Saudi government restricted the visas.

Elections Commission has today asked voters registered to vote in Riyadh to re-register to other locations before 6:00 p.m. on Friday.