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Bahrain: MB Coalition Wins 7 Seats in First Round of Elections
The Islamic movement gained a great progress in the first round of the Bahraini parliamentary and municipal elections, held last Saturday 25 November, amid an unprecedented fierce competition; the unified slate of the MB- affiliated Al Menbar and the Salafi Asala Society garnered seven seats out of the total 12 candidate slate for the parliament, while three candidates, two from Al Menbar and o
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| Monday, November 27,2006 00:00 | |||||||||
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The Islamic movement gained a great progress in the first round of the Bahraini parliamentary and municipal elections, held last Saturday 25 November, amid an unprecedented fierce competition; the unified slate of the MB- affiliated Al Menbar and the Salafi Asala Society garnered seven seats out of the total 12 candidate slate for the parliament, while three candidates, two from Al Menbar and one from Asala, will face a run-off elections and scheduled early next month; there is a another runoff candidate from the Islamic National Al Menbar Society, Dr. Sami Qombor, who wasn’t included in the alliance slate because Asala society rejected him because there is an Asala candidate in the same constituency who lost the elections. Three candidates will face a runoff: Dr. Sami Qombor, sheikh Nasser Al Fadala and sheikh Ibrahim Al-Hady, after garnering highest number of votes, while the former MP, Dr. Saadi Mohamed Abdullah, failed due to the serious election violations that included vote-buying in his constituency, in addition to the huge government support to his rival; four candidates Asala society won: Ghanem Al Bouien, Asala society chairman, Adel Al-Maawda, the second Deputy House Speaker, Abdul Halim Morad and Hamad Al Mohannadi, while Ibrahim Bousandal will face a runoff . Heading the House of Representatives is expecting another race between the outgoing House speaker, Khalifa Al Zhahrani, and Al Wefaq Islamic Society’s chairman, sheikh Ali Salman, in case the opposition doesn’t have a majority. Political Change 1- The Islamic National Al Menbar Society (Muslim Brotherhood): it is led by Dr. Salah Ali who confirmed that the comprehensive reform is the main component of the society’s agenda in these elections, especially in the political field; the society’s agenda includes plans for amending some texts, and articles in the constitution and increase of the legislative authorities inside parliament . In addition to this, the society’s agenda included plans for fighting financial and administrative corruption and returning values to the Bahraini society in addition to a number of social agendas including pay hikes and women and children files. 2- al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, the biggest Shiite formation in the country: it did not participate in 2002 elections; the most prominent of its political demands include activating the parliamentary life and pressing for a political participation for the Shiites in the country; this society is considered an extension of al-Bahrain Ahrar movement which appeared in the political landscape of the country between 1994 and 1999 AD. 3- Islamic Asala Society: it participated in the elections in an alliance with the National Islamic al Menbar; it represents the Salafist movement and is considered the political representative of the Islamic education society; it participated in 2002 elections and managed to garner 6 seats . 4- The Islamic Action Society (Shiite): it represents a movement that was founded at the late 1970s known as "the Shirazi movement" named after the religious cleric, Ayatollah Mohamed Al Sheerazi; it boycotted 2002 elections but it decided to participate in this year’s elections; it didn’t have a separate slate but it offered 3 candidates who contested as independents.
Reading these elections make us recognize some new features in the Bahraini political life: - The big rise of political awareness among Bahraini citizens; the Bahraini elections witnessed a high turnout, more than 60 % .. - The woman entered the political action, though weak with the success of one out of 17 female candidates, but the only woman that succeeded, Latifa Al Kaoud, won uncontested. - The Bahraini political authority released the importance of democracy in achieving a political stability, making it not intervening in the election process, something that helped the prominent election event pass peacefully without any considerable violations despite the relative tensions that dominated the country days before holding the elections . Generally speaking, the legislative and municipal elections that took place in Bahrain yesterday are considered an important political stop in the history of the Bahraini society, and the Gulf societies in general; this is due to the fact that they establish the beginning of a democratic change experience which only Kuwait did before it; the Bahraini society is expecting a stage of fulfilling promise, whether from the candidates regarding their election agendas or from the political authorities regarding going ahead in the political reform process in the country, something that may turn Bahrain into one of the world’s " democratic paradises ". Other Topics: Bad Moon on the Rise |
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