November 27, 2006
Strong Showing for Opposition Party in Bahrain Elections
By HASSAN M. FATTAH
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 26 — Shiite opposition candidates won 16 of the 17 seats they contested in Saturday’s parliamentary elections in Bahrain, the country’s election commission said Sunday.
The opposition now holds 40 percent of the elected Parliament’s 40 seats, with the 17th contested seat to be decided in a runoff on Dec. 2.
But leaders of the predominantly Shiite opposition party, the Wefaq National Islamic Society, said the gains, which were expected, might not translate into much political power. Government loyalists may retain control of much of the remainder of the lower house, depending on the outcome of the runoff. Furthermore, the upper house, which is appointed by King Hamad al-Khalifa, can overrule any act of the lower house.
November 27, 2006
Strong Showing for Opposition Party in Bahrain Elections
By HASSAN M. FATTAH
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 26 — Shiite opposition candidates won 16 of the 17 seats they contested in Saturday’s parliamentary elections in Bahrain, the country’s election commission said Sunday.
The opposition now holds 40 percent of the elected Parliament’s 40 seats, with the 17th contested seat to be decided in a runoff on Dec. 2.
But leaders of the predominantly Shiite opposition party, the Wefaq National Islamic Society, said the gains, which were expected, might not translate into much political power. Government loyalists may retain control of much of the remainder of the lower house, depending on the outcome of the runoff. Furthermore, the upper house, which is appointed by King Hamad al-Khalifa, can overrule any act of the lower house.
Still, they expressed satisfaction at the outcome. “What happened was no surprise,” said Fahim Abdullah, a spokesman for Al Wefaq. “We just never contested an election before.”
Mr. Abdullah emphasized that under fairer districting, his party would have garnered even more seats. “We succeeded in preparing the country for major changes,” he said, “but we used to protest on the streets. Now we will be asking for real changes from within the Parliament. That is a notable advance.”
Al Wefaq boycotted the 2002 parliamentary elections after King Hamad imposed a new Constitution that created the appointed chamber.
Bahrain’s Shiites, who make up about 60 percent of the population, say they have been sidelined. They contend that the government has backed Sunni Islamists and encouraged increasingly sectarian politics. Tensions rose in September when a government adviser published a report outlining a conspiracy by senior government officials, including members of the royal family, to undermine Shiite power.
Only 1 of 18 women who ran won a seat, and the winner ran uncontested. The two largest Sunni Islamist blocks, the National Islamic Tribune Association and the Salafi Asala Association, won eight seats, with another three candidates in the runoff. Three candidates of the National Democratic Action Association, a Wefaq ally, are also in the runoff.
