Opposition boycotts Bahrain elections, claims low turnout

Opposition boycotts Bahrain elections, claims low turnout
Bahrain voters returned to the polls Saturday in the second round of elections, boycotted by the Shia opposition, for the country’s first new parliament since Arab Spring-inspired protests nearly four years ago.
2 min read
30 November, 2014
The lower house of parliament has limited direct powers but carries important symbolism [Anadolu]

Bahrain voters returned to the polls Saturday in the second round of legislative elections for  the country’s first new parliament since widespread Arab Spring-inspired protests nearly four years ago.

Controversy clouded last weekend's first round and its focus on turnout, a key marker of the validity of the election, after the opposition boycotted it, calling it a "farce".

The official BNA news agency said people flocked to polling stations in large numbers Saturday to choose from among 68 candidates to fill the 34 out of 40 seats not decided last week.

Justice Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa, who heads the kingdom's electoral commission, told a news conference the election was "a great success". 

"The people have made their choice," he said after polling stations closed at 1700 GMT. 

Voting had begun 12 hours earlier amid tight security. No major incidents were reported.

BNA  said voting had been brisk, but residents of Shia-populated villages said turnout had been low there.
 
Accusations of irregularities

The electoral commission put turnout at 52.6 percent in Sunday's first round, but the Shia opposition said only 30 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots.  Both sides traded accusations of irregularities.

The opposition said tens of thousands of people were pressured to vote, while the authorities accused Shia of preventing others from reaching polling stations. 

The justice minister warned on Saturday that "those who doubt the election results will be held accountable". 

Since the uprising began in February 2011, at least 89 people are estimated to  have been killed in clashes with security forces, and hundreds arrested and tried.

The tiny Gulf state and key US ally remains divided nearly four years after the protests. 

The elections will determine the makeup of the 40-seat lower house of parliament. It follows a first-round vote last weekend, when only six candidates secured an outright majority to claim their seats.