Completing the democratic process

His Majesty King Abdullah, during a meeting with the Independent Election Commission (IEC) attended also by the prime minister on Sunday, directed the government to conduct municipal and governorate council elections on time and to ensure their integrity, impartiality and fairness.

These local elections are important to the decentralisation effort, which will help engage citizens in the decision-making process in their communities. For, who is better at defining the development needs of a region than its citizens themselves?

In the process of holding local elections, there is need to capitalise on the expertise of the oversight agency, the IEC, which successfully supervised the 2016 parliamentary elections.

The local elections will have to be conducted according to strict democratic principles and guidelines, and the commission is best placed to ensure that.

Some are calling for postponing local elections to save money for the government, which is already reeling under a growing budget deficit.

But even though holding elections, at any level, entails expenditure for all stakeholders, especially the government and the IEC, it is imperative to complete the cycle of democratic process in the country and ensure that the governors stay in touch with people and hear them when they voice their priorities on strategic plans and infrastructure for their areas.

Of course, the participation of citizens in the local elections is of extreme importance. Without them, the entire democratic exercise would be incomplete, even faulty.

Encouraging citizens to exercise their right to vote in local elections may not be easy, but they must be convinced to cast their votes for those they truly believe can represent them and can make a real difference to their lives.

King Abdullah called for intensifying awareness campaigns on the decentralisation project and the election mechanisms, stressing the importance of coordination and cooperation among various state institutions in this regard, and the premier pledged the government’s support for the IEC.

On the other hand, candidates will have to be up to standard, know what their communities need, be competent and have integrity.

After all, what they do affects the life of entire regions, not only of their immediate, inner circle.

So this is where voters should be encouraged to override tribal or family loyalties and vote in favour of people who can best represent them on matters they care about.