General elections were held in Bahrain in October 2010 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives.[1] The first round of voting was held on 23 October, with a second round on 30 October.[2] Amidst boycotts and arrests, Al Wefaq won 18 of the 40 seats. Four women were elected.[3]
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."[5]Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Project on Middle East Democracy noted government arrests and repressions ahead of the election.[citation needed]
The head of the Al Wefaq party, Ali Salman, said the government should be shared with the people, in what was seen 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."[6]
Conductedit
A total of 292 Bahraini observers from non-governmental organizations monitored the elections, though foreign observers were not allowed.[7]
Allegations were made of problems on election day; 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.[8] 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."[6]
Resultsedit
More than 318,000 were eligible to vote.[7] 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.[5] 127 candidates stood in the election.[citation needed]
Al Wefaq won 18 of the 40 seats, one more than the previous election.[2] Shia and independent candidates won a majority of seats for the first time.[citation needed]
Source: Bahrain Commission for Legislation and Legal Opinion and Alwasat Newspaper
Reactionsedit
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."[5]
Analysisedit
A local analyst, Obaidaly al-Obaidaly, said the press campaign that accompanied the arrests resulted in a favourable outcome for Al Wefaq. "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 Bahrain 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."[5]
^Maximiliano Herrera. "Electoral Calendar- world elections,US elections,presidential election,world parties". Mherrera.org. from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
^ abBahrain's Opposition INAA Wins 18 Seats in Parliament Al-Manar, 24 October 2010[permanent dead link]
^"Bahrain's political societies lose big in polls". Gulf News. 1 December 2014.
^. The Muslim News. 23 October 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
^ abcdMahjoub, Taieb (October 24, 2010). "Shiites make slender gain in Bahrain election". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
^ abBahrainis Vote for New Parliament amid Political Tensions Al-Manar, 23 October 2010[permanent dead link]
^ abParliament polls close in Bahrain Al Jazeera, 23 October 2010
^Poll success for Bahrain Shia bloc Al Jazeera, 24 October 2010
^Bahraini woman dies 'during protest' Al Jazeera, 16 July 2011
October 28, 2023
2010, bahraini, general, election, general, elections, were, held, bahrain, october, 2010, elect, forty, members, council, representatives, first, round, voting, held, october, with, second, round, october, amidst, boycotts, arrests, wefaq, seats, four, women,. General elections were held in Bahrain in October 2010 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives 1 The first round of voting was held on 23 October with a second round on 30 October 2 Amidst boycotts and arrests Al Wefaq won 18 of the 40 seats Four women were elected 3 2010 Bahraini general election 2006 23 October 2010 first round 30 October 2010 second round 2014 All 40 seats in the Council of RepresentativesParty Leader Seats Al Wefaq Ali Salman 18 1Al Asalah Ghanim Al Buaneen 3 2Al Menber Salah Ali 2 5Independents 17 6 Contents 1 Campaign 2 Conduct 3 Results 3 1 Winning candidate by constituency 4 Reactions 5 Analysis 6 Aftermath 7 ReferencesCampaign editThe main opposition party Haq Movement and several other opposition parties such as the Al Wafa Islamic Movement Bahrain Freedom Movement Khalas Movement and Islamic Action Society called for a boycott of the elections 4 on the grounds that participation would be tantamount to accepting the unjust sectarian apartheid system 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 5 Amnesty International Human Rights Watch and the Project on Middle East Democracy noted government arrests and repressions ahead of the election citation needed The head of the Al Wefaq party Ali Salman said the government should be shared with the people in what was seen 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 6 Conduct editA total of 292 Bahraini observers from non governmental organizations monitored the elections though foreign observers were not allowed 7 Allegations were made of problems on election day 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 8 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 6 Results editMore than 318 000 were eligible to vote 7 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 5 127 candidates stood in the election citation needed Al Wefaq won 18 of the 40 seats one more than the previous election 2 Shia and independent candidates won a majority of seats for the first time citation needed PartyFirst roundSecond roundTotalseats Votes SeatsVotes SeatsAl Wefaq18018 1Al Asalah213 2Al Menber Islamic Society022 5Independents11617 6Total319400Registered voters turnout318 668 171 000 Source IPUWinning candidate by constituency edit Governorate District Candidate Party First round Second roundVotes Votes Capital 1 Adel Assoumi Independent 1 878 65 322 Khalil Al Marzooq Al Wefaq 2 141 58 403 Hadi Al Mousawi Al Wefaq 1 926 85 644 Abduljalil Khalil Al Wefaq Elected unopposed5 Mohammed Mezel Al Wefaq 1 667 67 246 Abdulrahman Bumajeed Independent 1 144 56 897 Abdulmajid Al Sebea Al Wefaq 1 842 63 458 Jameel Kadhim Al Wefaq 2 818 86 20Muharraq 1 Adel Al Maawda Al Asalah Elected unopposed2 Abdul Hameed Al Meer Independent 1 357 43 83 1 737 58 603 Ali Ahmed Al Menber 1 140 37 11 1 675 55 034 Mahmood Al Mahmood Independent 1 904 26 41 3 418 52 585 Isa Al Kooheji Independent 1 891 57 626 Ali Al Asheeri Al Wefaq 4 422 83 777 Othman Sharif Independent 4 562 55 728 Ghanem Al Buainain Al Asalah 2 099 42 85 2 774 59 49Northern 1 Matar Ibrahim Matar Al Wefaq 7689 85 722 Ali Al Aswad Al Wefaq 6 577 87 713 Abdul Hussain Al Metghawi Al Wefaq 6 523 89 984 Hassan Al Dossari Independent 1 545 57 825 Mohammed Majeed Al Wefaq 5 132 86 766 Mohammed Ismail Al Ammadi Al Menber 3 263 45 22 3 777 56 827 Jassim Hussain Al Wefaq 5 107 59 038 Jawad Fairooz Al Wefaq 5 954 54 999 Hassan Sultan Al Wefaq 8 814 89 43Central 1 Salman Abdullah Salem Al Wefaq 6 175 67 492 Abdullah Al Aali Al Wefaq 7 242 88 993 Adnan Al Maliki Independent 1 875 45 18 2 533 59 364 Isa Al Qadhi Independent 3 237 43 13 3 905 55 995 Abdali Mohammed Hassan Al Wefaq 3 501 56 656 Hassan Isa Al Wefaq 5 308 91 967 Abdulhalim Murad Al Asalah 3 178 55 98 Ali Zayed Independent 3 108 39 75 3 888 50 209 Khalifa Al Dhahrani Independent 3 586 77 42Southern 1 Jassim Al Saeedi Independent 2 538 62 712 Abdullah Huwail Independent 1 194 52 443 Ahmed Al Mulla Independent 968 30 6 2012 71 994 Abdullah Al Dossari Independent Elected unopposed5 Khamis Al Rumaihi Independent Elected unopposed6 Lateefa Al Gaood Independent Elected unopposedSource Bahrain Commission for Legislation and Legal Opinion and Alwasat NewspaperReactions editShia 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 5 Analysis editA local analyst Obaidaly al Obaidaly said the press campaign that accompanied the arrests resulted in a favourable outcome for Al Wefaq 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 Bahrain 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 5 Aftermath editFollowing the 2011 Bahraini protests all 18 Al Wefaq MPs resigned from parliament 9 References edit Maximiliano Herrera Electoral Calendar world elections US elections presidential election world parties Mherrera org Archived from the original on 14 August 2010 Retrieved 2010 08 21 a b Bahrain s Opposition INAA Wins 18 Seats in Parliament Al Manar 24 October 2010 permanent dead link Bahrain s political societies lose big in polls Gulf News 1 December 2014 Bahrain Four opposition groups call for boycotting Bahrain Election The Muslim News 23 October 2010 Archived from the original on 22 March 2012 Retrieved 26 October 2010 a b c d Mahjoub Taieb October 24 2010 Shiites make slender gain in Bahrain election Agence France Presse Retrieved 11 November 2010 a b Bahrainis Vote for New Parliament amid Political Tensions Al Manar 23 October 2010 permanent dead link a b Parliament polls close in Bahrain Al Jazeera 23 October 2010 Poll success for Bahrain Shia bloc Al Jazeera 24 October 2010 Bahraini woman dies during protest Al Jazeera 16 July 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2010 Bahraini general election amp oldid 1161604709, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
