Voting in Bahrain elections end

Manama: Voting to elect 35 lawmakers and 39 municipal councillors in Bahrain ended at 8pm and 6pm respectively and the electoral exercise moved into the tedious phase involving the sifting and counting of ballots.

The voting started smoothly at 8am under a blue sky that was seen as a fitting start to the third elections in the country's modern history following a three-decade hiatus.

In pictures: Bahrain elections

No woman won a seat in the past two municipal council elections and women's chances to secure a seat this year looked thin after only three women signed up to contest in the municipal elections.

Women won a solitary seat in the parliamentary elections in 2006 after Latifa Al Gaood ran unopposed in the sixth constituency of the Southern Governorate. Her win earned her a place in the history books after she became the first woman in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to enter an elected parliament.

Latifa was assured of a seat in the reelected lower chamber after no opponent challenged her this year.

Four more incumbent lawmakers were also assured of their seats after their challengers pulled out of the race.

The five pre-elections wins meant that the around 318,000 voters had to choose from among 35 candidates Saturday to form the new-look lower chamber and 38 municipal councillors with two candidates not being challenged.

Thousands of voters thronged the polling stations in the early morning hours in an attempt to beat the expected rush. Voting slowed down around lunch time, but picked up in late afternoon when temperatures became more clement with several centres witnessing heavy rushes to beat the six o'clock deadline for municipal voting and eight o'clock for parliamentary voting.

Violations

In most centres, a good-natured atmosphere prevailed with candidates sitting together in the polling stations and talking quietly. However, their supporters outside were not as quiet and engaged in a last-minute push to win over voters heading towards the polling centre.

A preliminary report by the National Human Rights Commission issued in the middle of the day mentioned that the illegal presence of active supporters who tried to influence voters in the vicinity of the polling centres topped violations.

Under Bahrain's elections laws, all forms of propaganda and campaigning should be stopped 24 hours before the elections centre open. The laws also ban the presence of active supporters within 200 metres of the centres.

However, the commission said in its report that its monitors noted the presence of supporters of some candidates who sought to influence voters on their way to cast their ballots by offering them gifts.

In some centres, the judges urged some of the supporters who walked into the polling stations wearing shirts carry the names or pictures of their favourite candidates to leave the premises and wear neutral clothes.

The justice minister had earlier this month said that the national commission and four non-governmental organisations were allowed to monitor the elections. However, the ministry said that it would not allow foreign monitors, arguing that Bahrainis were competent enough to handle the task.

Supreme election committee officials meanwhile downplayed the figures of missing voter names as claimed by the opposition.

"There were few such insignificant cases. The blame lies with the voters because they did not check the published registry that was posted online and in the centers from September 21st till the 27th," Judge Khalid Ajaji said.

In Riffa, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, the foreign minister, said that the voting at the 30 diplomatic missions abroad went smoothly and expected the same positive outcome in Bahrain.

"These elections hold a special significance for Bahrain because it is the first time in our history that we have three elections in a row," he said.

"It is a great step forward that reflects the deep sense of continuity and the commitment of Bahrain's leaders and people to reforms and the exercise of democracy. This is a great source of comfort and reinforces the fact that Bahrain's reforms and democracy will keep thriving and moving forward and that they will not be revoked," Shaikh Khalid said after casting his ballot.

High enthusiasm

A multitude of short mobile messages calling for the boycott of the elections seemed to have little effect on the people. Both Sunni and Shiite religious leaders have urged Bahrainis not to shun the opportunity to elect their own representatives.