DUBAI: Bahrainis were voting yesterday in the final round of the Gulf kingdom’s first legislative elections since the authorities crushed pro-democracy protests led by the Shia majority in 2011.
Controversy clouded last weekend’s first round and its focus on turnout, a key marker of the validity of the election, after the opposition boycotted it, calling it a “farce”.
The official BNA news agency said people flocked to polling stations in large numbers yesterday morning to choose from among 68 candidates to fill the 34 out of 40 seats not decided last week.
However, residents of Shia-populated villages said turnout had been low there.
Tight security measures were in place when voting opened at 0500 GMT, and there were no major incidents reported by midday.
The electoral commission put turnout at 52.6 percent in Sunday’s first round, but the Shia opposition said only 30 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots.
Both sides traded accusations of irregularities. The opposition said tens of thousands of people were pressured to vote, while the authorities accused Shias of preventing others from reaching polling stations. AFP
