Pro-Government Sunnis Win in Bahrain
The Associated Press
Saturday, December 2, 2006; 10:09 PM
MANAMA, Bahrain — Islamic hardliners dominated the Sunni supporters of Bahrain’s government who defeated an opposition led by the kingdom’s majority Shiites in parliamentary elections, according to official results broadcast Sunday on state television.
The election Saturday for the lower house of parliament reinforced sectarian divisions between Shiites and Sunnis and witnessed a deepening Islamic conservatism in the U.S. ally, considered among the most liberal of Gulf Arab states.
The majority Shiites, who make up about 60 percent of Bahrain’s 700,000 residents, have long complained they are squeezed out of power by the Sunni monarchy, which dominates government.
Pro-Government Sunnis Win in Bahrain
The Associated Press
Saturday, December 2, 2006; 10:09 PM
MANAMA, Bahrain — Islamic hardliners dominated the Sunni supporters of Bahrain’s government who defeated an opposition led by the kingdom’s majority Shiites in parliamentary elections, according to official results broadcast Sunday on state television.
The election Saturday for the lower house of parliament reinforced sectarian divisions between Shiites and Sunnis and witnessed a deepening Islamic conservatism in the U.S. ally, considered among the most liberal of Gulf Arab states.
The majority Shiites, who make up about 60 percent of Bahrain’s 700,000 residents, have long complained they are squeezed out of power by the Sunni monarchy, which dominates government.
Even though they lost, the vote was hailed as a major step forward for democracy and Bahrain’s Shiites. It was the first in which the opposition made a strong run in parliament after boycotting 2002 elections _ the first after 26 years of direct rule by the al-Khalifa royal family.
The Shiite al-Wefaq party won 16 of the house’s 40 seats in the first round of voting a week ago. It needed five of the 11 seats up for grabs Saturday for a majority but gained only two, giving it a total of 18, state-run Bahrain TV, citing official results.
Conservative Sunni Muslim candidates allied with the government took 13 seats in the first round and nine in the runoff, for a total of 22.
The voting gave a sweeping victory to hard-liners from both of Islam’s chief branches who bulldozed challenges by progressive candidates and women. Twelve of the 22 pro-government winners were hardliners.
Ali Fakhro, a political scientist and former government minister, said the liberals were hurt by an ideological association with the United States. The Bush administration’s deep unpopularity in the Gulf has strengthened the religious right, he said.
“This is part of the reason the Islamists are heading for control of Bahrain’s parliament,” Fakhro said before the official results were announced. “The Americans say they are encouraging democratic politicians in the region, but the truth is they are harming them.”
Regardless of who controls the lower house, the key levers to power in Bahrain lie with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, a Sunni who appoints parliament’s upper chamber and can veto any legislation.
Officials reported high turnout on Saturday. But the campaign and election were marred by widespread allegations of fraud, and the government did not allow international observers to monitor the vote.
Though several women ran in the elections, only Latifa al-Gaoud, a pro-government female candidate who ran unopposed, was able to win a seat during the election’s first round. She became the first-ever female parliamentarian in any Arab Gulf country.
