Civic poll campaigns aren't cheap

Candidates standing in the upcoming municipal council elections would have to spend considerable amounts on campaigning to get elected, with a spot as chairperson likely to cost between SR10,000 and SR2 million, according to a report in a local publication on Thursday.
The reason candidates are likely to spend more is that there would be intense competition for places now that councils would have a great deal more powers than in the past, the report said.

The main beneficiaries are going to be advertising and publicity firms that would be employed to run campaigns using billboards, posters, brochures, cards and various electronic and print publications. Several candidates are also expected to set up election tents.
Campaigns on social media would also be costly — in the region of SR16,000 for tweets and re-tweets of election messages on Twitter. There is likely to be widespread use of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat where Saudis are ranked as the world’s second-highest users. 

Speaking to local media, some candidates in Taif, who preferred anonymity, said the costs of a campaign for a candidate wanting membership of a municipal council might be about SR500,000. Those who have their eyes on the chair might be forced to pay about SR2 million, they said.