RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVES, TRIBAL MEMBERS, AND ONE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000391

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/FO, EEB/ESC, DRL, R, NEA/PPD;
DEPARTMENT PLS PASS TO USTR FOR CHRIS WILSON;
USDOC PASS TO RIYADH, JEDDAH, DHAHRAN;
TREASURY DEPT FOR SECRETARY GEITHNER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2019
TAGS: ECON ETRD KWMN PGOV SOCI SA
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVES, TRIBAL MEMBERS, AND ONE
FEMALE INCUMBENT WIN JEDDAH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ELECTIONS
AMID PRESS REPORTS OF VOTE BUYING

REF: A. JEDDAH 0381

B. JEDDAH 0297

JEDDAH 00000391 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Consul General Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d)

SUMMARY AND COMMENT
--------------

1. (C) Religious conservatives, tribal members, and alleged
vote-buyers won seats on the board of directors of the Jeddah
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) -- a progressive,
independent power center in Saudi Arabia's commercial capital
-- in a hotly contested, intensely covered election
characterized by record turnout and widespread reports of
corruption and fights. Only one woman was elected, incumbent
Lama Sulaiman, who received the second-highest number of
votes among the 12 winners. The Minister of Commerce and
Industry, Abdullah Zainal Alireza, is expected to announce
his six appointees to the 18-member board within the next few
days. Female candidates believe the minister will appoint
only as many women as were elected to the board (i.e., one).
Newspapers reported that some candidates had called on the
Ministry to invalidate the election results because of fraud,
but the Ministry rebuffed their request, saying the elections
were fair. Reformist candidates expressed frustration and
disillusionment with the electoral process, which appears to
have benefited well-organized Islamists determined to roll
back the gains made by women under the JCCI board elected in

2005. It is unclear whether the intense media coverage of
both the positive and negative aspects of the JCCI elections
signals greater press freedom, or was simply allowed because
it showed the disadvantages of elections and did not cross
any red lines. But the results of the "one voter, one vote"
system in an election the wealthiest and more progressive
merchant families opted not to contest suggest the risks
attending the election process in Saudi Arabia. End summary
and comment.


Islamist majority determined to send women back home
-------------- --------------


2. (C) Consulate contacts and Saudi media reported that seven
newcomers and five incumbents won the 12 elected seats on the
JCCI board. The new board appears to be dominated by
Islamic-hardliners committed to rolling back the gains made
by women during the past four years. Only two clear
supporters of women's participation in the economy were
elected, Abdullah Dahlan (a former JCCI chairman and Shura
Council member) and incumbent Lama Sulaiman (the only woman
elected). The progressive JCCI board chosen in 2005, which
was elected as a 12-member slate headed by Jeddah's
wealthiest families, allowed women to work alongside men at
the JCCI building (a breakthrough in Saudi Arabia, which
strictly segregates the sexes) and challenged laws,
regulations, and customs discriminating against women. In
the run-up to the election, hard-line candidates refused to
attend official meetings with the female contenders, and seem
unlikely to allow mixed-gender board meetings.

Al-Watan Arabic daily newspaper and consulate contacts
reported the following results:

Traders: Essam Naas, 282 votes; Mohamed Habib Khojah, 278
votes; Ziad Bassam, 258 votes; Bassam Akhdar, 234 votes; Dr.
Abdullah Dahlan, 185 votes; Zuhair Al-Marhoumi, 135 votes.

Industrialists: Saleem al Harbi, 567 votes; Lama Sulaiman,
557 votes; Abdullah Marei Bin Mahfouz, 496 votes; Mazen
Batterjee, 435 votes; Ahmed Al Murabaei, 389 votes; Sheikh
Abdulkhalek Saeed, 302 votes.

Septel with biographic information on the new JCCI board will
follow.



JEDDAH 00000391 002.2 OF 002


"Unfair elections, unfair competition"
--------------


3. (C) Several candidates contacted by the Consulate
expressed frustration and disillusionment with the electoral
process, saying they observed other candidates offering money
for votes. Some female candidates told us that the small
business owners that had earlier promised to vote for them
were offered money (between 2,000-3,000 SR, or $500-$750) by
male candidates and changed their votes after the women
refused to pay more. Female candidates maintained they had
little chance of winning since they were honest and did not
bribe voters. Local press ran articles about campaign
corruption, including photographs of a candidate paying an
eligible voter and an SMS message offering to buy votes. The
media also reported (and contacts confirmed) altercations
between official election observers and candidates whose
complaints about repeat voters were ignored. According to
multiple sources, fights broke out at the polls between the
sons of two prominent candidates (Essam Naas and Abdullah
Dahlan) after Dahlan's sons accused the other side of
distributing money to voters. Besides cash, candidates
offered a variety of other inducements to voters, including
lavish buffets in air-conditioned tents outside the polls.


Disillusion with democracy?
--------------


4. (C) Comment. The intense and frank press coverage of the
JCCI board election -- among the most open coverage post has
witnessed -- could be interpreted as a sign of greater press
freedom. Alternatively, the media coverage may have been
allowed or encouraged in order to showcase the negative
aspects of elections and democracy. The defeated progressive
candidates, especially the women, may have emerged from the
campaign disillusioned with the democratic process. More
worrisome, the decisions by Jeddah's wealthiest families to
sit out the election rather than risk defeat in the "one
voter, one vote" (anti-bloc, divide-and-conquer) system
instituted by Commerce Minister Alireza for this election,
opened the field for well-organized Islamists and ambitious
individuals willing to play political hardball to take over
an institution that has served as a beacon for progress in
Saudi Arabia and alternative power center. End comment.
QUINN