Bahraini parliamentary election, 2010
Encyclopedia
A parliamentary election was held in Bahrain
with the first-round on 23 October, and the second round on 30 October 2010. Al-Wefaq won a plurality. The election followed controversy amidst boycotts and arrests.
and several other opposition parties such as the Wafa Party, Bahrain Freedom Movement, Khalas Movement and Islamic Action Society
decided to boycott the election.
Riots were also reported after several opposition spokespersons were arrested after speaking about human rights issues in Bahrain
. The head of Al Wefaq party, also said that "The way the ongoing security campaign has been handled and the rights violations that accompanied it have in one week destroyed 10 years of progress in this country."
There were also further arrests and repressions of the Shia majority. Shia political activists and international human rights
watchdogs warned of a "drift back to full-blown authoritarianism." However, Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa claimed the arrests were "not linked to elections." Amnesty International
, Human Rights Watch
and the Project on Middle East Democracy
noted government arrests and repressions ahread of the election.
The head of the Al Wefaq party, Ali Salman, said the government should be shared with the people, in what was read as an open challenge to the ruling Al-Khalifa dynasty. "It is unacceptable that power be monopolised by a single family, even one to which we owe respect and consideration. We look forward to the day when any child of the people, be they Sunni or Shia, can become prime minister."
More thant 318,000 were eligible to vote. Head of the electoral commission and Justice Minister, Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa, gave an estimate of turnout of "at least 67 percent," less than the 72% in 2006 and 53.4% in 2002. 127 candidates stood in the election.
The Islamic National Accord Association won 18 of the 40 seats, 1 more than the previous election. Shia and independent candidates won a majority of seats for the first time.
also said "The way the media handled the security situation which prevailed prior to the elections unexpectedly raised Al-Wefaq's shares. Shiites felt that they were targeted so they voted intensely for Al-Wefaq despite their restlessness with its performance throughout the past four years."
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
with the first-round on 23 October, and the second round on 30 October 2010. Al-Wefaq won a plurality. The election followed controversy amidst boycotts and arrests.
Background
The lower house of parliament, for which the election is held, has the authority to pass legislation proposed by the sovereign or the governing cabinet, as well as monitoring authority. The upper consultative council has the power to block legislation from the lower house.Candidates
- Islamic National Accord Association (Al WefaqAl WefaqAl Wefaq National Islamic Society , also known as the Islamic National Accord Association, is a Bahraini political society, and the largest party in the Bahrain, both in terms of its membership and its results at the polls...
party) -- Shia, - National Democratic Action Society -- an alliance of pan-Arab nationalistsArab nationalismArab nationalism is a nationalist ideology celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language and literature of the Arabs, calling for rejuvenation and political union in the Arab world...
and former Leftists - Progressive Democratic Tribune -- a party of former communists
- Al AsalahAl AsalahThe Al Asalah Islamic Society is the main Salafist political party in Bahrain, with four MPs after 2006's general election .The party is the political wing of the Islamic Education Society...
-- Sunni Salafist party - Al-Menbar Islamic SocietyAl-Menbar Islamic SocietyAl Menbar National Islamic Society is the political wing of the Al Eslah Society in Bahrain, associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. A Sunni Islamist party, it is well organised through a network of mosques and seek to promote a conservative social agenda while not directly challenging the...
-- affiliate of the Muslim BrotherhoodMuslim BrotherhoodThe Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
Constituency contests profiled
- Capital Governorate (2 constituencies)
- Central GovernorateCentral GovernorateThe Central Governorate is one of the five governorates of Bahrain. It includes parts of the former municipalities of Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Madinat 'Isa, Sitrah and A'ali....
(two constituencies) - Muharraq Governorate (seven constituencies)
Controversy
The main opposition party Haq MovementHaq Movement
The Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy is an opposition political organization in Bahrain founded in 2005 with Hasan Mushaima as its Secretary general...
and several other opposition parties such as the Wafa Party, Bahrain Freedom Movement, Khalas Movement and Islamic Action Society
Islamic Action Society
The Islamic Action Society is one of the main Islamist political parties in Bahrain, and mainly appeals to Shīʻa followers of the Najaf-based Āyatu l-Lāh, Hādī al-Mudarrisī, who are known as "the Shirāzī faction"....
decided to boycott the election.
Riots were also reported after several opposition spokespersons were arrested after speaking about human rights issues in Bahrain
Human rights in Bahrain
Bahrain's record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as "dismal", and having "deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010"....
. The head of Al Wefaq party, also said that "The way the ongoing security campaign has been handled and the rights violations that accompanied it have in one week destroyed 10 years of progress in this country."
There were also further arrests and repressions of the Shia majority. Shia political activists and international human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
watchdogs warned of a "drift back to full-blown authoritarianism." However, Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa claimed the arrests were "not linked to elections." Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
and the Project on Middle East Democracy
Project on Middle East Democracy
The Project on Middle East Democracy is a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C. dedicated to examining how genuine democracies can develop in the Middle East and how the United States can best support that process. Through dialogue, research, and advocacy, POMED works to...
noted government arrests and repressions ahread of the election.
The head of the Al Wefaq party, Ali Salman, said the government should be shared with the people, in what was read as an open challenge to the ruling Al-Khalifa dynasty. "It is unacceptable that power be monopolised by a single family, even one to which we owe respect and consideration. We look forward to the day when any child of the people, be they Sunni or Shia, can become prime minister."
Monitors
About 292 Bahraini observers from non-governmental organisations monitored the elections, though foreign observers were not allowed.Election
Forty seats were elected on October 24, with the runoffs that were needed on October 30. A total of 127 candidates competed in the election, which was also chose municipal councils.More thant 318,000 were eligible to vote. Head of the electoral commission and Justice Minister, Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa, gave an estimate of turnout of "at least 67 percent," less than the 72% in 2006 and 53.4% in 2002. 127 candidates stood in the election.
The Islamic National Accord Association won 18 of the 40 seats, 1 more than the previous election. Shia and independent candidates won a majority of seats for the first time.
Irregularities
The credibility of the election was threatened by allegations of voting problems. Al Wefaq's Sheikh Ali Salman claimed at least 890 voters were not allowed to vote in mostly Shia districts because their names were absent from electoral lists. "This is not the full number. We expect it to be higher." The party tallied up the voters who said there were not allowed to vote, in order to use these numbers to challenge to the official results. The opposition also expressed concern that the authorities used the votes of military personnel in favour of some candidates at the expense of others in an "exploitation of general positions."Reactions
Shia cleric and MP Sheikh Ali Salman lauded the result and called for a "more positive" stance from the government. "The most important message for the government is that Al-Wefaq (INAA) is the largest political association in Bahrain. The people's will must be respected and dealt with positively."Analysis
A local analyst, Obaidaly al-Obaidaly, said the press campaign that accompanied the arrests resulted in a favourable outcome for INAA. "The Shiites who were hesitant or intended to boycott the elections voted overwhelmingly in favour of Al-Wefaq, the representative of their community. Baqer al-Najar, a sociology professor at the University of BahrainUniversity of Bahrain
The University of Bahrain , a public university in the Kingdom of Bahrain, is the largest university in Bahrain. In post-nominals the University of Bahrain is typically abbreviated as UoB....
also said "The way the media handled the security situation which prevailed prior to the elections unexpectedly raised Al-Wefaq's shares. Shiites felt that they were targeted so they voted intensely for Al-Wefaq despite their restlessness with its performance throughout the past four years."