Bahraini woman candidate disputes Islamist rival win
AFP
November 29, 2006
MANAMA — A Bahraini female candidate to parliament ousted from the contest by her Islamist rival said Tuesday that she planned to challenge his victory, which he largely owed to out-of-constituency votes.
“There are many things which make us doubt the result” of Saturday’s vote, liberal academic and activist Munira Fakhrou, who lost to leading Sunni Islamist MP Salah Ali, said.
Fakhrou said that she would challenge the result at the cassation court, Bahrain’s highest court, Wednesday and would take the case “to the highest levels in order to expose the truth.”
Bahraini woman candidate disputes Islamist rival win
AFP
November 29, 2006
MANAMA — A Bahraini female candidate to parliament ousted from the contest by her Islamist rival said Tuesday that she planned to challenge his victory, which he largely owed to out-of-constituency votes.
“There are many things which make us doubt the result” of Saturday’s vote, liberal academic and activist Munira Fakhrou, who lost to leading Sunni Islamist MP Salah Ali, said.
Fakhrou said that she would challenge the result at the cassation court, Bahrain’s highest court, Wednesday and would take the case “to the highest levels in order to expose the truth.”
Fakhrou, a member of the leftist National Democratic Action Association (NDAA), was initially reported to be advancing to the December 2 second round with Ali, head of the National Islamic Tribune Association, which represents the Muslim Brotherhood.
But Ali later appeared to benefit from over 1,000 votes that poured into public voting centers and was declared the winner.
Bahraini opposition groups had demanded the closure of 10 out-of-constituency voting centers, claiming that they were potential points for fraud.
“There was a margin of just 13 votes [in favor of Ali] in the polling station of the constituency [where they both ran]. But the votes which came from public [out-of-constituency] centers made the difference unbelievable,” Fakhrou said.
Fakhrou, a Sunni who enjoyed the backing of the biggest Shiite group, was seen as having the best chances among 16 female candidates who stood in Saturday’s legislative elections, all of whom were ousted from the race.
One female candidate had earlier clinched a seat in the 40-member parliament because she stood unopposed in her constituency.
The Shiite opposition made stunning gains in the first round, grabbing 40 percent of mandates in the Gulf state’s chamber. Ten seats remain to be decided in the second round.
