US Congressional Advisers Delegation Visits IEC

Dr. Khaled Al-Kalaldeh, IEC Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, has met with a delegation of senior advisors from the U.S. Congress; representatives and senate, which is currently visiting the Kingdom, with the presence of IEC members of the Board of Commissioners and Secretariat. 

During the meeting, Al-Kalaldeh briefed the history of IEC as a constitutional body that enjoys administrative and financial independence as a result of the constitutional amendments of 2011, adding that the Commission has gained more authorities by 2014 constitutional amendments to encompass all general elections, including parliamentary and municipal elections or any other elections assigned to it. 

He emphasized the Commission's desire to offer guarantees to the transparency of the electoral process, which boosted the citizen’s confidence in the electoral process, the matter that contributed to the political stability in the Kingdom compared to other regional countries.

He highlighted the most important challenges faced by the Commission during its management of the electoral processes; the most recent was in 2017, where the Commission has conducted two democratic elections in one day: the municipal elections and the governorate councils’ elections. 

Al-Kalaldeh added; the policy of political openness adopted by the Commission and applied on the partners of the electoral process and the electoral managements aims at benefiting from international experiences in refining the electoral process. He also commended the joint cooperation between IEC and USAID. 

In turn, the Congress Delegation praised the Commission for its proficiency in managing electoral processes. A discussion has been carried out through which the Commission has answered the Delegation’s questions and inquires.