The High Council of State suspended its session Tuesday amid controversy over a single ballot paper without resolving the issue.
While chairing the session, the incumbent Head of the High Council of State Mohammed Takala said that voting had been stopped, the session was suspended, and the case was referred to the judiciary.
The rival to head the High Council of State, Khalid Al-Mishri called for accepting the “election result” and exploring the elections related to the presidency office, consisting of two deputies and a rapporteur.
High Council of State’s member Naima Al-Hami said that Takala had assigned First Deputy Masoud Obeid to manage the affairs of the council until the judiciary makes a decision.
The HCS began the session to elect the new Head Tuesday morning, with three candidates: Takala, Al-Mishri, and Adel Karmos, with the attendance of 135 members.
The decision to elect the Head was postponed to a second round, after Takala received 67 votes and Al-Mishri 54, while Karmos left the race with a small number of votes.
In the second round, an ballot paper sparked controversy within the HCS, as one voter wrote Mohamed Takala’s name on the back of the ballot paper, which was decisive after Al-Mishri received 69 votes, and Takala received 68 votes, without counting a paper on which Mohamed Takala’s name was written, but in the wrong place. If the controversial paper is counted, Takala will become equal in the number of votes with Al-Mishri: 69 votes’ tie.
Amid the ongoing dispute, the presidency of the High Council of State requested that the live broadcast of the session be cut off without the result being decided. This came as Al-Mishri called on all members to accept the election results.
The HCS elections on Tuesday was the ninth since its establishment in 2015 after signing the political agreement in Skhirat, Morocco.
