Women candidates got only 1 percent of the 10,414 votes of businessmen and businesswomen in the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) board of directors election on Friday.
There were 59 candidates in the fray — the largest number in any of the chambers’ history in the Kingdom — and five of them were women.
None of these five women candidates could win the polls, and the percentage of votes they got remains a matter of concern.
The percentage of voters in the election reached about 13 percent of the expected number, which is estimated at about 80,000 voters.
So, the RCCI board remains a tough battle ground for businesswomen and their ambitions will be restricted to their assignments by the Ministry of Commerce and Investment, local media reported Saturday. The number of votes for women reached only 142, with Kholoud Al-Dakheel bagging the highest number of 67 votes to be in the 14th place among 35 candidates in the traders category. She was followed by Reem Al-Rasheed in the 22nd place, Huda A. Al-Jeraisy in the 24th place and Nouf Alrakan at the 26th spot in a reserve list of traders category.
Yahya Azzan, chairman of the election committee, told local media that the panel did not receive any complaints or appeals.
He said that this election is distinct from other electronic voting, where the voters of Wadi Al-Dawasir can vote for candidates from Riyadh.
It also comes at a time when the concern is increasing in the private sector, and its role in the economic development, which the Kingdom seeks to achieve, and it coincides with the adoption of Vision 2030, where the chambers of commerce are expected to play a prominent role.
Reem Al-Rasheed said the RCCI needs a female voice to convey the views of businesswomen to the decision-makers in the process of national transformation.
Huda A. Al-Jeraisy said she fought the election so that she could participate in decision-making process with regard to the investment environment and to work for women.

Source ; Arab News