Although the turnout of voters at some polling stations in Thursday's municipal elections was less than expected, observers noted voters seemed well aware of the issues and came alone or in groups prepared to vote for candidates whose agendas appealed to them. Furthermore, the municipal elections, the second to be held in the Kingdom, were administered by 16,000 well-trained Saudis according to Prince Dr. Mansour Bin Mit'eb Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs. All in all, it is clear that the second municipal elections were a success and that public awareness about them has increased since the first round of polls were held in 2005. However, a high level of awareness of the election process and of the responsibility of citizens to cast their votes cannot be reached overnight, but rather requires great effort and a continuous process of education. And after the recent announcement by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, that women will be allowed to vote and stand for election in the next municipal polls, which are scheduled to be held in 2015, efforts will have to be doubled, as both men, women will be involved in the election process. Moreover, awareness campaigns will have to be conducted for women who have never voted in municipal elections before and have never run for office and conducted election campaigns. Apart from this, public awareness must also be raised concerning the roles of the municipal councils. There have been complaints that many of those elected to the councils in the first-ever elections in 2005 did not keep their campaign promises and that the performance of the councils has not been satisfactory. While it is true that in the first elections, some candidates made promises while campaigning that were unrealistic, it is also true that the jurisdiction of the municipal councils is limited. Speaking after Thursday's polls, Prince Mansour pointed out that many people do not have a clear understanding of the concept of municipal councils and that they want them to deal with issues such as education and health which are outside their jurisdiction. It is clear, therefore, that although this year's elections have been a success, much work needs to be done before 2015 to educate the public about the election process and the role of municipal councils. __
