Civil society bodies must get priority in monitoring of elections, says activist

Manama: Bahrain's civil society organisations should be given priority in the monitoring of the next municipal and parliamentary elections, a senior activist has said.

"While the two major polls will be followed closely by the international community and the foreign media, I believe that the local watchdogs should be given precedence over foreign organisations in the supervision process," Bahrain Transparency Society chairman Dr Jasem Al Ajmi yesterday told Gulf News.

The society, established in January 2002, was charged, alongside the Bahrain Human Rights Society, with monitoring and supervising the legislative polls in October 2002. Foreign observers were also allowed to monitor the elections, touting them as a big breakthrough for democracy in the Arab world.

"Some governments both in the Arab and Western worlds give supervision priority to foreign organisations in order to prove to the international community that their elections were fair and honest. There is no problem with that, of course, but we should also think of ways to encourage local organisations to assume such critical responsibilities," Al Ajmi said.

"Everybody said that the monitoring role by the Bahrain Transparency Society and the Bahrain Human Rights Society in 2002 was up to the standards and we hope that this trust in local institutions will be consolidated," he said.

About 300 people will be trained for monitoring purposes by the Bahrain Transparency Society at special workshops. Potential monitors will also be taught how to set aside their political and religious affiliations and to remain independent, he said.