BMANAMA, Bahrain (Reuters) — Bahrainis began voting in the small Gulf state’s national elections on Saturday, amid tension between the government and the Shiite Muslim opposition which boycotted polls in the pro-Western kingdom in 2002.
The main opposition group has warned the Sunni-led authorities that any attempt to rig the parliamentary and municipal elections would be vigorously opposed.
Election officials have denied charges of election irregularities and the authorities have set up an election hotline to receive complaints.
Sheikh Ali Salman, head of Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society that represents Shiites, says his group would know the polls were rigged if it did not win 13 of parliament’s 40 seats.
BMANAMA, Bahrain (Reuters) — Bahrainis began voting in the small Gulf state’s national elections on Saturday, amid tension between the government and the Shiite Muslim opposition which boycotted polls in the pro-Western kingdom in 2002.
The main opposition group has warned the Sunni-led authorities that any attempt to rig the parliamentary and municipal elections would be vigorously opposed.
Election officials have denied charges of election irregularities and the authorities have set up an election hotline to receive complaints.
Sheikh Ali Salman, head of Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society that represents Shiites, says his group would know the polls were rigged if it did not win 13 of parliament’s 40 seats.
Speaking as he cast his ballot on Saturday, Salman said: “I’m still anxious about the transparency of these elections.”
Election officials also said the authorities would prosecute people who question the fairness of the elections without proof. Taking place against a backdrop of Sunni-Shiite tension in nearby Iraq, the polls are the first to be contested by Wefaq in the island state of 650,000 which is around 60 percent Shiite.
Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, is ruled by the Sunni al-Khalifa family. Since coming to power in 1999, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has introduced some reforms, including pardoning political prisoners and exiles.
Many Sunnis welcomed Shiite participation in the polls and Bahrainis do not want a repeat of political unrest that gripped Bahrain in the 1980s and 90s.
Brisk start
Voting got off to a brisk but orderly start with Bahrainis flocking to the ballot box, many lining up before polling stations opened at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT). The turnout was expected to be well over 60 percent, a Bahraini election official said.
“We want to elect someone who will solve the problems of the people, unemployment and poverty,” said Jihane Hamze, covered from head to toe in a black veil. “I will vote for Sheikh Ali Salman because he speaks with sincerity.”
But many Bahrainis said they did not care about the elections because 2002 polls brought little change. They said that since all laws must be approved by the king and unelected officials, Saturday’s polls were unlikely to matter either.
The polls began a day after groups of youths gathered in a poor Shiite area of the capital, burning tires and stopping traffic. Earlier, about 2,000 protesters chanting “down, down with the government” gathered in central Manama.
Protesters, Sunni and Shiite, demanded a probe into allegations of election irregularities in a report by former government adviser Salah al-Bander, who was deported in September for what authorities said was fomenting civil strife.
The Shiites also campaigned against what they say is a state move to award citizenship to thousands of Sunnis from other countries to weaken Shiite influence.
The government says it has naturalized relatively few foreigners, and Shiites were well represented among them.
Shiite demands for more power and an end to discrimination in jobs and services have led in the past to unrest and arrests.
Wefaq is contesting 17 parliament seats and 23 of 40 municipal seats. It boycotted the last polls as constitutional changes gave a state-appointed council equal powers to the elected assembly.
Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
