Manama: Islamist societies swept to victory in Bahraini parliamentary elections while leading liberals will have to wait until next Saturday's run-off to find a place in the new parliament, according to official results announced yesterday.
The results from the first round gave Shiite Al Wefaq Society 16 of the 40 seats in the Council of Representatives and four to Sunni Al Asala Society and four seats to their allies, the Islamic Menbar Society, which represents the local Muslim Brotherhood.
The numbers could receive a boost if more of their candidates win the runoff on December 2.
"We hail the result as an appreciation of our efforts to serve the nation and we look forward to close cooperation with our peers in parliament," said Asala spiritual leader Shaikh Adel Al Mouawda, the incumbent second deputy speaker of the Council of Representatives and winner of the first constituency in Muharraq.
"I am glad that Islamists have won massively because I strongly believe that they are the ones best placed to uphold ethical values," Al Mouawda told Gulf News.
Al Wefaq Society leader Shaikh Ali Salman, who with 85 per cent received one of the highest vote numbers, is expected to play a major role in the new-look parliament, with many observers tipping him to be the likely speaker of the Council of Representatives.
But the 42-year-old leader said that he was not keen on front-line action and would rather exert his efforts from a different position.
Analysts attribute the Islamists' victory to good organsational skills within the societies and to the impact of their religious message and its strong appeal to the masses with the sectarian developments in Iraq as background. Disappointment with the overall performance of the outgoing council, the first in three decades, coupled with a strong desire to influence local governance and politics have spurred voters to cast ballots in favour of the Islamist societies rather than secular liberals.
But while Al Asala is familiar with the parliamentary grounds after its stunning victory in the 2002 polls, Al Wefaq is making its debut in the world of legislative action.
The Society must now make a much-awaited transition from critical outsider to principal player in Bahraini legislation.
The opposition liberals, spearheaded by the National Democratic Action Society (Waad) had a weak showing, with no seats won and four for the second round.
