Manama
(AsiaNews/Agencies) – Bahrainis went to
the polls today for the first legislative and municipal elections since protests
broke out in February 2011.

Some 350,000 voters are eligible to cast their ballot between 8 am and 8
pm. A second round of voting is set for next Saturday. A
total of 419 candidates are running, 266 in parliamentary elections and 153 for
municipal councils.

Groups representing
the country’s Shia majority announced they were boycotting the poll, dismissing the electoral process as a
“farce” that would only benefit Sunni elites. 

The main
opposition party, Al Wefaq, and three other groups, which boycotted the
elections, warned failure by the kingdom’s
rulers to loosen their grip on power could trigger a surge in violence.

Local
sources reported that polling stations are busy in Sunni areas, but streets in
Shia areas are blocked.

Bahrain, a
US ally supported by Riyadh, has been torn by protests since early 2011, following
the outbreak of the Arab Spring in many countries in North Africa and the
Middle East.

The country’s
Shia majority is behind widespread dissent, demanding greater freedom and
recognition from the Sunni-dominated authorities.

So fa
however, the government has chosen to crack down violently, effectively
nullifying attempts at a “national dialogue”.

For analysts
and local political experts, the turnout will be a key factor. For the
opposition, a low turnout means a defeat for the country’s rulers, making election
results invalid.

Al-Wefaq chief Sheikh Ali Salman expects a maximum turnout of 30 per cent,
saying the boycott stems from “the people’s demand for democratic
reforms”.