Nov 17 2014
Monday, Nov 17, 2014
Manama: Bahrainis have been urged to practise their national and constitutional right and vote in the parliamentary and municipal elections on Saturday.
The cabinet said that casting the ballot is “a national duty that reflects responsibility and care towards national interests,” Sameera Ebrahim Bin Rajab, the Minister of State for Information Affairs and the Official Spokesperson of the Government, said.
The cabinet emphasised that disruption, calls to boycott the elections, and attacking candidates are all acts that are punishable by the law and are against national interests, she told the media at the press conference following the weekly session.
Around 350,000 Bahraini men and women are listed to vote in the quadrennial elections to choose 40 lawmakers in the lower chamber of the bicameral parliament and 30 councilors in the country’s four municipal councils.
According to election officials, 419 candidates will be contesting in both elections.
“The number of candidates seeking to become members of parliament stands at 266, while the number of postulants for a municipal council seat is 153,” Abdullah Hassan Al Buainain, executive director of the elections, said.
Bahrainis in the country will vote on November 22 and on November 29 in constituencies where no candidate was able to secure more than 50 per cent of the votes.
However, Bahrainis abroad will start casting their ballots on November 18, between 9 am and 5 pm, local time.
Japan will be first country in which Bahrainis will be able to vote, while the USA will be the last, Al Buainain said.
Judge Khalid Ajjaji, a member of the high elections committee, said that 301 observers would be monitoring the polls in Bahrain.
He said eight civil societies had applied to have representatives to oversee the electoral process.
However, the judge said that 55 applicants had to be replaced after a study of their documents showed they were members of political societies, a violation of a decision announced last month by the committee to ensure neutrality.
Parliamentary and municipal elections were held in Bahrain in 2002 following the promulgation of a new constitution that allowed women to vote and run. They were subsequently held in 2006 and 2010.
Parliamentary by-elections were held in 2011 to replace the 18 MPs from Al Wefaq society who resigned in February amidst the dramatic events that unfolded in the country.
The opposition boycotted the polls in 2002, but took part in 2006 and 2010. Last month, four societies said that they would not participate in the elections.
Some candidates reported that acts of arson had targeted their homes and vehicles to force them to pullout of the race.
By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief
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